A Couple

A quiet, solitary monologue in a garden, intimate and reflective, drifting through memory and marital feeling with little plot.

Directed by

Frederick Wiseman

Genres

Drama, History, Romance

Starring

Nathalie Boutefeu

Overview

Explores a long-term relationship between a man and a woman: the man, Leo Tolstoy; the woman, his wife, Sophia. Married for 36 years, had thirteen children, nine of whom survived, each kept a diary. Although they lived together, in the same house, they frequently wrote letters to each other. Leo insists that they read their diaries aloud to guests at dinner parties. The Tolstoys were also a dysfunctional couple, arguing frequently and being very unhappy with each other while occasionally enjoying passionate moments of reconciliation. Sophia’s monologue explores the joys and struggles of their life together, loosely drawn from their letters to each other and their diary entries.

How it feels

Slow-burning and demanding.

About

Love, family, identity, memory

Content

Mild sexual content and language. No violence or gore.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Watch the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab)