The Associate

The Associate (French: L'Associé) is a 1979 comedy directed by René Gainville, starring Michel Serrault alongside Claudine Auger and Catherine Alric. A co-production between France, Hungary and West Germany, the film adapts Jenaro Prieto's 1928 novel, in which a businessman under financial pressure invents a fictitious partner, only to find the imaginary figure taking on a life of its own as everyone around him believes the man is real. The screenplay was written by Jean-Claude Carrière, with sets designed by art director Sydney Bettex. The story later inspired the 1996 American remake of the same name featuring Whoopi Goldberg and Dianne Wiest.