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The Midwife (2017)

Name: The Midwife
Genre: Drama
Released: 2017-03-22
Duration: 117 min
Rating: 6.1
Cast: Catherine Frot, Catherine Deneuve, Olivier Gourmet, Quentin Dolmaire, Mylène Demongeot

The Midwife (2017), directed by Martin Provost, starring Catherine Frot and Catherine Deneuve.

03/22/2017 BR Drama 1h 57m

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Synopsis

Claire is a midwife and has devoted her life to others. At a moment when she is preoccupied by the imminent closure of the maternity clinic where she works, her life is further turned upside down when Béatrice, her father's former mistress, turns up on the scene. Béatrice is a capricious and selfish woman, Claire's exact opposite.

Yves CapeCinematography
Martin ProvostDirector, Writer
Albertine LasteraEditing
Jacques-Henri BronckartProducer

About the film

The Midwife (French: Sage femme) is a 2017 drama film directed by Martin Provost. It was screened out of competition at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.

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The Midwife (French: Sage femme) is a 2017 drama film directed by Martin Provost. It was screened out of competition at the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.

Plot

Claire is a midwife at a maternity unit that is due to close. She is contacted by Beatrice, who had been her father's mistress many years before. After thirty years of silence, Beatrice has traced Claire, not knowing that her father had committed suicide shortly after she left him. Claire and Beatrice arrange to meet. In spite of her age, Beatrice is very immature and rather extravagant. Claire has been leading a selfless life, concentrating on helping the mothers and babies in her care, and raising her son. She has an apartment in Mantes-la-Jolie and an allotment, where she meets Paul, a long-distance lorry driver in his fifties.

Beatrice is now being treated for a brain tumour and moves in with Claire, who takes care of her. Beatrice clearly did love Claire's father, and is distressed by her role in his suicide. She tries to make amends by helping Claire, but she is too ill and disorganised. She eventually leaves, leaving an expensive ring as a keepsake for Claire. Claire is now in a relationship with Paul.

Cast

Catherine Deneuve as Béatrice Sobolevski

Catherine Frot as Claire Breton

Olivier Gourmet as Paul Baron

Quentin Dolmaire as Simon

Mylène Demongeot as Rolande

Pauline Etienne as Cécile Amado

Karidja Touré as Madame Naja

Audrey Dana as The chief nurse

Reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 88% based on 73 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 66 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Both Vikram Murthi of RogerEbert.com and Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 3 out of 5, with the latter lauded the roles of lead actresses by saying that "Catherine Deneuve and Catherine Frot give it their all in a moving, verging on sentimental, tale of homewrecking and home truths".

The Midwife grossed $7.2 million at the box office.

References

External links

The Midwife at IMDb

Text from The Midwife on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Midwife

Trivia

It cost US$ 7.0 million and grossed US$ 7.3 million in theaters — 1.0 times its budget.
It premiered on March 22, 2017, a Wednesday.
It runs 1h57 — a typical feature length.
Its original title is "Sage femme".
As of September 20, 2026, it is available in Brazil by subscription on Looke.
This film's quiz has 11 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.

Production

StudiosFrance 3 Cinéma, Curiosa Films
CountriesBelgium, France
LanguagesFrench
BudgetUS$ 7,000,000
Box officeUS$ 7,286,136
StatusReleased

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Crew

Yves Cape Cinematography
Martin Provost Director
Albertine Lastera Editing
Jacques-Henri Bronckart Producer
Olivier Bronckart Producer
Olivier Delbosc Producer
Martin Provost Writer

Questions about this film

What is The Midwife about?

The Midwife: Claire is a midwife and has devoted her life to others. At a moment when she is preoccupied by the imminent closure of the maternity clinic where she works, her life is further turned upside down when Béatrice, her father's former mistress, turns up on the scene. Béatrice is a capricious and selfish woman, Claire's ex…

Who directed The Midwife?

The Midwife was directed by Martin Provost in 2017.

Who stars in The Midwife?

The cast of The Midwife includes Catherine Frot, Catherine Deneuve, Olivier Gourmet, Quentin Dolmaire and Mylène Demongeot.

How long is The Midwife?

The Midwife runs for 117 minutes, or 1h57.

How much did The Midwife cost and how much did it make?

The Midwife had a budget of US$ 7,000,000 and took US$ 7,286,136 at the box office — 1.0 times its cost.

Where can I watch The Midwife?

The Midwife is available on Looke, Looke Amazon Channel, Apple TV Store and Google Play Movies. Availability changes often: the list on this page is the most recent we received.