A Woman's Life () is a 2026 comedy drama film directed by Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet, co-written by Bourgeois-Tacquet and Fanny Burdino. It stars Léa Drucker, Mélanie Thierry, Charles Berling, Laurent Capelluto, and Marie-Christine Barrault.
The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 79th Cannes Film Festival on 13 May 2026, where it competed for the Palme d'Or and Queer Palm. It was theatrically released in France by on 9 September 2026.
Premise Gabrielle is a middle-aged childless surgeon whose life is consumed by her work and responsibilities. When a writer observes her at work for a novel, her life begins to change.
Cast Léa Drucker as Gabrielle, a maxillofacial surgeon Mélanie Thierry as Frida, a novelist Charles Berling as Henri, Gabrielle's husband Laurent Capelluto as Kamyar, Gabrielle's friend and co-worker Marie-Christine Barrault as Arlette, Gabrielle's mother who has Alzheimer's disease
Erri De Luca
Production A Woman's Life marks writer-director Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet's second feature film, after Anaïs in Love (2021), and was written in collaboration with Fanny Burdino. During the writing process, Bourgeois-Tacquet herself shadowed a female surgeon at a hospital.
The film was produced by David Thion at . It was also co-produced by Jacques-Henri Bronckart and Tatjana Kozar at , Arte France Cinéma, , and La Femme Qui Aimait Les Films.
Principal photography began on 11 March 2025 and lasted through May 2025. The film was shot in Lyon, Villeurbanne, Grézieu-la-Varenne, Chaponost, and Meyzieu. Noé Bach served as director of photography.
Release Be For Films owns the international sales rights to the film, which was presented at the European Film Market in February 2026. It had its world premiere in the main competition of the 79th Cannes Film Festival on 13 May 2026, where it competed for the Palme d'Or. Ahead of its premiere, The Hollywood Reporter released a promotional clip from the film. The film was theatrically released in France by on 9 September 2026.
Reception Critical response Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 65 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film a rating of three out of five stars, deeming it a "hectic, garrulous, breezily agreeable comedy of midlife emotional upheaval". Guy Lodge of Variety called the film "finely textured" and wrote that it "reinvents no wheels but its details are specific and rewarding", comparing it to the works of Mia Hansen-Løve. Jon Frosch of The Hollywood Reporter noted that the film "isn't exactly earth-shaking", but called it "buoyant and affecting". Several critics, including Pete Hammond of Deadline and Kate Erbland of IndieWire, commended Léa Drucker's performance as Gabrielle.
Accolades Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Cannes Film Festival 23 May 2026 Palme d'Or Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet
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