Fidelity

Fidelity is a 2000 French drama film written and directed by Andrzej Żuławski and starring Sophie Marceau, Pascal Greggory and Guillaume Canet. Based on Madame de La Fayette's 1678 novel La Princesse de Clèves, the film follows a talented photographer who lands a lucrative job in Paris with a scandal-mongering tabloid and becomes romantically involved with an eccentric children's book publisher while resisting the sexual advances of another photographer. Filmed on location in Paris, Fidelity received the Cabourg Romantic Film Festival Award for Best Actress (Marceau) and the Golden Swann Award (Zulawski). Plot Talented Canadian photographer Clélia lands a lucrative job in Paris with a tabloid called La Verite run by scandal-mongerer Rupert MacRoi. Clélia's mother once dated MacRoi years ago while working as a cabaret singer. Once she became pregnant with Clélia, she stopped seeing MacRoi and married Clélia's father. Accompanying her daughter to Paris, she tells Clélia that her strongest principle was honour, and encourages her to get married and settle down. In Paris, Clélia gives a television interview and talks about her books of photography: a "study of absence" showing empty streets and deserted landscapes, and a study of fashion models without showing their faces. While taking photographs, Clélia meets Clève, a middle-aged children's book publisher who is preparing to marry MacRoi's wealthy daughter to bolster his flagging publishing house. Clève invites her back to his office where they make love. Afterwards, she meets Clève's brother Bernard, a Catholic bishop, and their father, very briefly. At the La Verite offices, Clélia finds most of her co-workers to be disillusioned—all knowing that they "earn their keep on dirt." At her first assignment covering a hockey team that MacRoi recently purchased, Clélia finds herself in the team's locker room surrounded by naked players celebrating their victory. She takes photos. MacRoi is there and drags her through automatic showers to embrace her tightly. She says she could be his daughter. He still desires her, regardless. As he leaves MacRoi asks her if she will join his family for a dinner party. Before she leaves, Clélia has sex with one of the players.