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The Adversary

2002 · 129 min

A slow, suffocating study of a man's elaborate lie, watching his double life unravel with quiet dread and moral unease.

Directed by
Nicole Garcia
Genres
Mystery, Drama, Crime
Starring
Daniel Auteuil, Géraldine Pailhas, François Cluzet
Overview
Based on the 2000 book of the same name by Emmanuel Carrère, it is inspired by the real-life story of Jean-Claude Romand. L'Adversaire's protagonist Jean-Marc Faure (Auteuil) pursues an imaginary career as a doctor of medicine in a plot more closely based on Romand's life and Carrère's book than was Laurent Cantet's 2001 film L'Emploi du Temps. The film was nominated for a Palme d'Or at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.

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In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
Directed by
Nicole Garcia
Genres
Mystery, Drama, Crime
Starring
Daniel Auteuil, Géraldine Pailhas, François Cluzet
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 3 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • bleakstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • deception
  • identity
  • guilt
  • family
  • isolation
Places
  • suburbs
  • home
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • true story
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action1
Horror2
Humour1
Realism8
Romance2
Tension6
Darkness8
Complexity7
Emotional weight8

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Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
mystery, drama, crime
Directed by
Nicole Garcia
Written by
Frédéric Bélier-Garcia, Nicole Garcia
Starring
Daniel Auteuil, Géraldine Pailhas, François Cluzet, François Berléand, Emmanuelle Devos, Alice Fauvet, Martin Jobert, Michel Cassagne
Music
Angelo Badalamenti
Cinematography
Jean-Marc Fabre
Runtime
129 min
Country
France, Switzerland, Spain
Languages
French

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