Nathalie...

Catherine, a gynaecologist in her forties, accidentally learns that her husband Bernard, a businessman, has cheated on her.{{cite web |last=Schager |first=Nick |title=Review: Nathalie… |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/nathalie/https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/nathalie/ |publisher=Slant Magazine |access-date=15 December 2019 |date=7 April 2006}} She hires an upmarket prostitute, who works as a hairdresser, to seduce her husband and tell her the details of their meetings. She asks the girl to play a character for this and to be called Nathalie.{{cite web |last=Bradshaw |first=Peter |title=Nathalie ... {{!}} Reviews |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,4267,1261936,00.html |website=www.theguardian.com |access-date=15 December 2019 |date=16 July 2004}} Nathalie accepts and a very ambiguous relationship is created between the two women. Nathalie uses very crude words to describe her meetings with Bernard.{{cite web |last=Cavagna |first=Carlo |title=Nathalie... (2003) |url=http://www.aboutfilm.com/movies/n/nathalie.htm |website=www.aboutfilm.com |access-date=15 December 2019 |date=December 2004}} Many times the contract between the two women is broken (because it goes too far or because Catherine is no longer sure of what she wants) but each time Catherine relaunches the relationship.

The two women get so close that when Nathalie finds herself homeless, Catherine finds her new accommodation, she also introduces Nathalie to her mother. The relationship is complicated when Nathalie, still playing her role, announces to Catherine that Bernard wants to live with her. Catherine asks for explanations from her husband who swears that he has no other woman in his life. Perplexed, Catherine leads Bernard into the bistro which is her meeting place with Nathalie. When Nathalie enters the establishment and sees the couple, she flees. Nathalie then confides in Catherine that she made everything up and that she never had an intimate relationship with Bernard. Catherine decides to "forgive and forget".

• Fanny Ardant as Catherine
• Gérard Depardieu as Bernard
• Emmanuelle Béart as Nathalie / Marlène
• Wladimir Yordanoff as François
• Judith Magre as Catherine's mother

The role of Nathalie was initially to be played by Vanessa Paradis, but the actress had to decline the role because of pregnancy.{{Citation needed|date=October 2020}}

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 71% based on reviews from 24 critics. The website's consensus reads, "A seductive French import that portrays adult issues of jealousy and betrayal with strong lead performances and considerable French charm."{{rotten-tomatoes|1158404-nathalie|Nathalie...}} On Metacritic, the film has a score of 69% based on reviews from 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".{{Metacritic film|title=Nathalie...}}

Derek Elley of Variety wrote: "An intellectual-cum-sexual teaser whose twist is apparent far too early on."{{cite web |date=1 October 2003 |last=Elley |first=Derek |title=Nathalie . . . |url=https://variety.com/review/VE1117922005 |website=Variety }} Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter called it "An unconvincing psychosexual drama that tries to reconfigure the classic romantic triangle but winds up looking like a preposterous pretzel."{{cite web |date=September 23, 2003 |author=Kirk Honeycutt |author-link=Kirk Honeycutt |title=Nathalie ... |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/reviews/review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1984463 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031005181154/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/reviews/review_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1984463 |archive-date=5 October 2003 |url-status=dead }}

Director Atom Egoyan remade the film in 2009 under the title Chloe.[http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/movies/2010/03/26/2010-03-26_atom_egoyans_chloe_starring_jullianne_moore_is_a_tacky_fatal_attraction_for_the_.html "Atom Egoyan's 'Chloe,' starring Julianne Moore, is a tacky 'Fatal Attraction' for the lesbian set"] by Elizabeth Weizmann The film stars Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, and Amanda Seyfried. Elizabeth Weizmann of the New York Daily News contrasting the original with the remake says Egoyan "Having adapted a film—via Erin Cressida Wilson's screenplay—from an erotic French drama called Nathalie, Egoyan appears convinced that he's creating a suspenseful work of art, rather than a mildly kinky bit of arthouse exploitation." In his self-promotion, the director of the remake, Egoyan, described Chloe as more erotically charged than Nathalie...[https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/616607 'Heroic' Neeson helped ready Chloe for TIFF], by Peter Howell

Fontaine said that she was interested in Egoyan's take on it. Fontaine also said that she was not happy with Nathalie... because the two lead actresses of the film objected to her original intention for a lesbian relationship to develop between their characters.{{cite news |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/egoyan-s-chloe-a-reinvention-of-sexy-french-drama-1.847165 |title=Egoyan's Chloe a reinvention of sexy French drama |publisher=Cbc.ca |date=September 15, 2009 |access-date=July 26, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604191455/http://www.cbc.ca/arts/tiff/story/2009/09/14/egoyan-chloe-press-conference.html |archive-date=June 4, 2011 |url-status=live }}

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Category:2003 films

Category:2000s erotic drama films

Category:2000s French-language films

Category:Films directed by Anne Fontaine

Category:Films about adultery in France

Category:French erotic drama films

Category:Films about prostitution in Paris

Category:Films set in Paris

Category:Films shot in Paris

Category:Films scored by Michael Nyman

Category:2003 drama films

Category:2000s French films