How to be a Good Wife – film review
Addy Fong checked out the new film starring Juliette Binoche. Here are her thoughts:
Throughout history, tradition has dictated the ideology that obedience to rules and structure is for the betterment of society. For the longest time there has been an expectation that many young women should grow up, marry, and take care of the household.
Martin Provost’s How to be a Good Wife sounds like an instructional guide for wives; married women are expected to be submissive, diligent and obedient to their husband, who is the sole provider and caretaker of the family. Provost explores this outdated ideal in his film which is centred around the running of the Van der Beck’s School of Housekeeping and Good Manners, a finishing school set in the 60s where young ladies are taught how to be good and proper wives. The ladies are taught to be neat and tidy, following structured daily routines and dutifully undertaking chores to support the head of the house and that help with maintaining the integrity of marriage.
Provost opens with a shot of Paulette Van Der Beck (Juliete Binoche) standing in front of a closed window overlooking the green garden outside. She stands by the window wearing a pink suit and matching skirt that adorns her feminine figure, her back towards the camera as it tracks in and the frame tightens, engulfing her surroundings and bringing us closer. Slowly as the camera moves from wide to close-up the audience begins to understand our protagonist. Without uttering a word, the temporary absence of dialogue in this moment reveals a lot, Paulette like many other women, feels trapped, framed or boxed in by the closed window which separates her from the garden outside and possibilities or freedom the external brings.
Traditional gender norms place the female at home on domestic duties and they are encouraged to turn a blind eye to the actions of their superior, the male. Provost’s film pokes fun at these so called gender norms and certain double standards between men and women, exploring quite serious issues that revolve around the affect decisions made by others have on young women who do not have the authority to decide. This is reflected by the dull gray uniforms the girls are dressed in, as they are taught to conform and follow rules in a highly structured program of mundane domestic chores and classroom revision on the rules or pillars of being a good wife.
Despite the depressingly patriarchal context, thankfully there are moments of dark humour throughout. The main cast is composed of strong female leads who portray outlandish characters, the morally upright and almost perfect Paulette (Juliette Binoche), the unusually odd and idealistic Gilberte (Yolande Moreau), and the superstitious and communist fearing nun Marie-Therese (Noémie Lvovsky).
Set in the progressive 60s, How to be a Good Wife explores themes of gender equality and liberation, cleverly showcasing a highly talented and female-led cast whose presence throughout the film and ability to fix tasks at hand suggests that perhaps women aren’t always in need of a man to look after them as the characters are originally led to believe. Ironically, the male characters in the film are actually instructed or perhaps at times belittled by our female leads, throughout the males in the film act more as supporting or secondary characters despite being spoken or thought of as traditionally the head of the household who holds authority.
‘A women with no suitor and no manners has nothing’, Paulette states, explaining to the girls that a woman’s worth is dependant solely on her potential pairing with a eligible male. Here marriage is an social obligation and not a romantic notion, a custom and long held perspective that women should seek out a male to care for them. This classic trope has been taught to us ever since we’ve been children, the damsel in distress, the masculine prince saving the princess, marriage completing us and created for the betterment of society, etc. Ever since their childhood, women have been taught to seek a male saviour to help them whenever troubles arise and that their world will simply collapse without the presence of a male. However as the story’s comedic timing suggests, in a hilariously over the top scene, that perhaps the (literal) collapse of a man reveals to us that women are the real heroes.
Paulette’s sister in law Gilberte is a middle aged woman, unmarried and living with her brother Robert (François Berléand) working under him without pay or sign of acknowledgement. Her insecurities echo throughout Provost’s film, she seems a little more reserved and uncertain of herself despite her strengths. Now in the midst of her life perhaps she feels the burden of age, her singleness beginning to stand out when paired with the assumption she might be flawed, broken or damaged. Provost does not need to state this explicitly but it’s seen in the fundamental pillars taught at the institution, a place that teaches women how to be good wives.
To many, an unmarried woman may be perceived as worthless, for many are taught the detrimental lie that a woman is worth nothing without a man. The inability of society to celebrate the freedom that singleness brings or find joy in the strength of an individual’s achievements is toxic and detrimental. For whilst there is celebration to be had regarding the union of couples, society’s neglect of the single, the widowed, the unmarried or celibate is something society should not overlook. Gilberte is a talented chef in her own right, a teacher and caretaker of the young girls whose diligence is uncredited and unpaid. Perhaps forgotten at times, there is a need for us to recognise and acknowledge the many achievements of our talented women in our society. Thankfully Provost does this including a scene in the film which lists important women who had a huge impact on the world showcasing the strength of women throughout history who, quite rightly, deserve recognition.
Martin Provost’s How to be a Good Wife is a story which revolves around protagonist Paulette Van Der Beck (Juliete Binoche), who appears first on screen. Throughout the course of the film, a series of events change Paulette’s worldview, and we the audience share in her journey, as she transforms into a changed woman now liberated by the ideas of freedom of self and freedom of women everywhere. Upon the film’s conclusion, Paulette now stands in front of the same window shown at the beginning of the film that was once closed but is now open, this representing her liberation, the feeling of freedom she now holds, the hope she has for the future, as a woman finally free.
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How to be a Good Wife is in Australian Cinemas Dec 26. For other territories, check local listings.
Review by Addy Fong.
