Les Bonnes Femmes

Les Bonnes Femmes is a 1960 French-Italian comedy drama directed by Claude Chabrol, his fourth feature film. Shot in France in the autumn of 1959 with some of the leading young actors of the Nouvelle Vague, it follows four young Parisian women and their very different encounters with men. In terms of genre, it blends melodrama and comedy with satirical touches and elements of crime drama, a mixture typical of the French New Wave's early experimental works. The cast includes Bernadette Lafont and Stéphane Audran. Although the film was unsuccessful upon its initial release in France, it underwent critical reevaluation over the years and is now regarded as one of the best of Chabrol's early films. Running about 100 minutes, it offers a sharp-eyed portrait of everyday life and relationships in contemporary Paris.