Year: 1983
Runtime: 110 mins
Language: French
Director: Diane Kurys
In occupied France of 1942, a Jewish refugee marries a soldier to avoid deportation, while a wealthy art student loses her first husband to a stray Resistance bullet. After the Liberation she meets an actor, becomes pregnant and marries him. By 1952, Lena and Madeleine, now mothers, meet at their children’s school in Lyon, and the intensity of their bond begins to threaten both of their marriages.
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Read the complete plot breakdown of Entre Nous (1983), including all key story events, major twists, and the ending explained in detail. Discover what really happened—and what it all means.
In France during 1942, a young Jewish woman named Léna Isabelle Huppert Weber finds herself detained by Vichy authorities and facing deportation to Nazi Germany. A guard named Michel Guy Marchand Korski offers to save her by marrying her. They escape on foot over the Alps to Italy. After the war, they settle in Lyon, where Léna has two daughters with him. At a school event, she meets another mother, Madeleine Miou-Miou, who is married with one son. The two women become close friends, and their husbands also get along, although both men secretly feel jealous of the bond their wives share.
Madeleine has a brief affair with her former art teacher, for which Léna lends her flat. Unfortunately, Michel comes home at lunchtime and discovers the guilty couple. This turns him against Madeleine and strains Léna’s friendship with her. The two women had been planning to open a dress shop, and Michel offers to finance it on the condition that Madeleine is excluded, as she has gone off to Paris. Taking a night train to visit her, Léna has a sexual encounter with a soldier, her first experience apart from Michel, which she finds very enjoyable. In Paris, the two women dance, get drunk in a nightclub, and end up in bed together.
However, Léna fails to realise the fragility of Madeleine, who is eventually placed in a mental hospital and later released to the care of her parents. When Léna visits her, she takes Madeleine out to show her the new dress shop. Unfortunately, Michel drops by and upon seeing Madeleine there, he smashes the place up. Léna takes Madeleine and their children away to a rented house by the sea, where Michel tries to reconcile with her but without success. The end caption reveals that Léna never sees her husband again, and Madeleine dies two years later.
Last Updated: November 22, 2025 at 16:00
Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.
Stories where deep connections between women offer escape from oppressive societal expectations.If you enjoyed the intimate, fraught bond between Lena and Madeleine in Entre Nous, discover other movies like it. This thread features emotionally heavy dramas where female friendship provides a form of escape, often set against a melancholic post-war backdrop and exploring themes of autonomy and sacrifice.
These narratives often begin with isolation or confinement, introducing two women from different backgrounds whose connection becomes a catalyst for change. The story unfolds as their bond deepens, creating tension with their existing lives (marriages, families) and culminating in a pivotal choice between safety and freedom, typically with bittersweet consequences.
They are grouped by their shared focus on the intensity of female relationships as a transformative force, a melancholic and restrained tone, and a setting that highlights societal pressures. The pacing is character-driven and steady, building emotional weight through intimate moments rather than high-stakes action.
Dramas where pragmatic unions lead to quiet desperation and the search for escape.Looking for movies similar to Entre Nous that explore the heavy emotional toll of a marriage of convenience? This collection features character-driven dramas where pragmatic unions become traps, leading to yearning, infidelity, and a desperate search for personal freedom amidst societal pressure.
The narrative follows a character who makes a practical, often desperate, decision to marry. The initial relief gives way to a slow-burn realization of emotional isolation within the relationship. The central conflict arises from the clash between duty and the awakening of a need for genuine intimacy or autonomy, often leading to a crisis point.
These films share a somber, restrained mood and a focus on the psychological weight of domestic confinement. They feature a steady, deliberate pacing that allows the sense of entrapment to build subtly. The emotional journey is heavy, characterized by frustration and a bittersweet resolution where freedom comes at a significant cost.
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Track the full timeline of Entre Nous with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.
Discover the characters, locations, and core themes that shape Entre Nous. Get insights into symbolic elements, setting significance, and deeper narrative meaning — ideal for thematic analysis and movie breakdowns.
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Discover movies like Entre Nous that share similar genres, themes, and storytelling elements. Whether you’re drawn to the atmosphere, character arcs, or plot structure, these curated recommendations will help you explore more films you’ll love.
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