The remarkable Gerard Depardieu racks up another superb performance, managing to charm the townspeople and us, the filmgoers, while retaining a subtle ambiguity about his eyes that suggests he may be keeping secrets. Nathalie Baye's performance is equally affecting. She balances quiet strength and dignity with intelligence and affection in her characterization of a woman who has been wronged by church and state, who has lost her true love and chances for happiness, but will endure. This is a certainty. Entwined with the telling of the tale are glimpses of the daily life of its people, their occupations, their communal and patriarchal values, their superstitions.
Faces are soiled, hair is stringy, clothes are grimy and sweat-stained.
The compelling social and intellectual issues raised by the story occupy our minds as the scenes progress. Their jolting folkdance rhythm resembles the events of the plot as they surge forward, suddenly halt, then start again. It wouldn't be right to give away the ending of the film, but consider this. However, her permanent record states that she has an M.A. in English and lives in a house with vinyl siding.