Overview
A woman's struggle for survival and autonomy in a war-torn world leads her down a perilous path.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- austere
- scathing
- morally ambiguous
- arthouse film night
- historical drama evening
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Claude Chabrol’s immediate, scathing historical drama, especially Isabelle Huppert’s enigmatic performance and its critique of abortion, women’s rights, and Vichy-era hypocrisy.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Marie earns money by performing clandestine abortions for women, including clients made pregnant by occupying soldiers.
Vichy authority targets Marie’s sexual and reproductive activities while the surrounding society remains steeped in exploitation and collaboration.
Marie pursues money, comfort, and singing with striking indifference to Paul’s humiliation, leaving her inner calculations deliberately unresolved.
The domestic flat, abortion network, and rented rooms for prostitutes connect national occupation to everyday survival in 1941 France.
Films like Story of Women, and why
The Sorrow and the Pity
period social drama examining women’s constrained agency, moral hypocrisy, and institutional power during wartime
Lacombe, Lucien
French historical drama focused on collaboration, sexuality, and morally compromised survival under occupation
Army of Shadows
intimate wartime drama about women navigating oppression, desire, and political violence in occupied France
The Night of the Shooting Stars
austere European historical drama pairing social critique with psychologically opaque central characters
Movie Details
- Director
- Claude Chabrol
- Release Date
- 1988-09-14
- Runtime
- 108 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (191)
Cast
- Isabelle Huppert
- François Cluzet
- Nils Tavernier
- Marie Trintignant
- Guillaume Foutrier
- Nicolas Foutrier
- Aurore Gauvin
- Lolita Chammah
- Marie Bunel
- Dominique Blanc
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Story of Women about?
- A morally enigmatic woman builds an illicit livelihood in occupied France, challenging the hypocrisy of a society that criminalizes her survival.
- What is Story of Women like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Story of Women as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Story of Women violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Story of Women as mild.
- What did critics think of Story of Women?
- Critics broadly praised Claude Chabrol’s immediate, scathing historical drama, especially Isabelle Huppert’s enigmatic performance and its critique of abortion, women’s rights, and Vichy-era hypocrisy.
- Which films are like Story of Women?
- Films with a similar feel include The Sorrow and the Pity, Lacombe, Lucien, Army of Shadows, and The Night of the Shooting Stars.
- How long is Story of Women?
- Story of Women runs 108 minutes.
- Where can I watch Story of Women?
- In United States, Story of Women streams on Criterion Channel.
