Focus Features

8 Women

Released September 20, 2002

Each woman is a suspect. Each has a motive. Beautiful, tempestuous, intelligent, sensual, and dangerous... One of them is guilty. Which one is it?

Synopsis

The new film from France’s most daring and inventive writer/director, François Ozon, 8 Women is a comedic murder mystery uniting an all-star lineup of French cinema’s top actresses. A boxoffice smash in France, 8 Women was honored at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival with a Silver Bear Award for its ensemble cast.

At an isolated mansion in the snowy countryside of 1950s France, a family is gathered for the holiday season…But there will be no celebration – their beloved patriarch has been murdered!

The killer can only be one of the eight women closest to the man of the house. Was it his powerful wife? His spinster sister-in-law? His miserly mother-in-law? Maybe the insolent chambermaid or the loyal housekeeper? Could it possibly have been one of his two pretty young daughters? A surprise visit from the victim’s chic sister sends the household into a tizzy, encouraging hysterics, exacerbating rivalries, and encompassing musical interludes. Comedic situations arise with the revelations of dark family secrets. Seduction dances with betrayal. The mystery of the female psyche is revealed.

Eight women. Each is a suspect. Each has a motive. Each has a secret. Beautiful, tempestuous, intelligent, sensual, and dangerous…One of them is guilty. Which one is it?

Dressed to kill with glamorous costumes and colorful art direction and set decoration showcasing the women’s individual musical numbers, 8 Women stars a dazzling ensemble of cinema icons and popular actresses: Catherine Deneuve (BELLE DE JOUR), Isabelle Huppert (winner of the Best Actress Award at the 2001 Cannes International Film Festival for THE PIANO TEACHER), Emmanuelle Béart (MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE), Fanny Ardant (RIDICULE), Virginie Ledoyen (THE BEACH), Danielle Darrieux (THE EARRINGS OF MADAME DE…), Ludivine Sagnier (François Ozon’s WATER DROPS ON BURNING ROCKS), and Firmine Richard (ROMUALD ET JULIETTE).

In the past few years, François Ozon has attained international acclaim for his features UNDER THE SAND, WATER DROPS ON BURNING ROCKS, CRIMINAL LOVERS, and SITCOM; his hourlong film SEE THE SEA; and several award-winning short films, among them A SUMMER DRESS.