The Wife
A celebrated novelist's wife confronts the decades of talent, infidelity, and self-denial hidden beneath their seemingly exemplary marriage.
Overview
A powerful exploration of a woman's silent strength behind her husband's success, revealing the sacrifices made in the name of love.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- serious
- intimate
- melancholic
- quiet evening
- prestige drama night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film's examination of marriage, artistic credit, and gender inequality compelling, with Glenn Close's gripping performance carrying the drama.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Joan's decades of sacrifice and the secret behind Joe's literary career center the film's critique of unequal creative recognition.
Joan and Joe's forty-year marriage is sustained by uneven compromises, infidelity, and unequal control over their shared public identity.
Flashbacks to young Joan and young Joe recontextualize the couple's present-day marriage and artistic arrangement.
Critics repeatedly singled out Glenn Close's restrained, accumulating performance as the film's primary dramatic engine.
Films like The Wife, and why
Scenes from a Marriage
shared marital power struggle, restrained psychological drama, and acclaimed central performances
The Hours
shared literary setting, intimate marriage conflict, and morally complex female perspective
The Hours
shared examination of gendered sacrifice, artistic ambition, and corrosive domestic compromise
Revolutionary Road
shared prestige drama atmosphere, concealed resentment, and a marriage nearing rupture
Movie Details
- Director
- Björn Runge
- Release Date
- 2017-08-17
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 7.1 / 10 (1142)
Cast
- Glenn Close
- Jonathan Pryce
- Christian Slater
- Max Irons
- Harry Lloyd
- Annie Starke
- Elizabeth McGovern
- Johan Widerberg
- Karin Franz Körlof
- Richard Cordery
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Wife about?
- A celebrated novelist's wife confronts the decades of talent, infidelity, and self-denial hidden beneath their seemingly exemplary marriage.
- What is The Wife like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Wife as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Wife violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Wife.
- What did critics think of The Wife?
- Critics broadly found the film's examination of marriage, artistic credit, and gender inequality compelling, with Glenn Close's gripping performance carrying the drama.
- Which films are like The Wife?
- Films with a similar feel include Scenes from a Marriage, The Hours, The Hours, and Revolutionary Road.
- How long is The Wife?
- The Wife runs 100 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Wife?
- In United States, The Wife streams on Howdy Amazon Channel.
