North of France, Sainte-Gudule, 1977. Suzanne (Catherine Deneuve) is a placid housebound 'trophy housewife' (or "potiche") of wealthy industrialist Robert Pujol (Fabrice Luchini), who oversees his umbrella factory with an iron fist and is equally tyrannical with his children and wife. When the workers go on strike and take Robert hostage, Suzanne steps in to manage the factory. To everyone's surprise, she proves herself a competent and assertive woman of action. But when Robert returns from a restful cruise in top form, things get complicated. gerard Depardieu plays Babin, a former union leader, and Suzanne's ex-beau who still holds a flame for her.
Acclaimed writer-director François Ozon (Swimming Pool, Under the Sand,Time to Leave), who had previously directed Ms. Deneuve in the international hit 8 Women, turns the original play on its head to create his own satirical and contemporary take on Sarkozy's France, the war between the sexes and the class divide.
Potiche reunites French cinema legends Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu in an ensemble cast that includes comic greats Fabrice Luchini and Karin Viard (Delicatessen) as Luchini's secretary and mistress, while Judith Godreche (Pot Luck) and jeremie Renier (In Bruges, L'Enfant) play the Pujols' entitled daughter and sexually ambiguous son.
Potiche will be released on UK DVD and Blu-ray on 10th October 2011 by Studio Canal at the RRP of £17.99 for the DVD and £22.99 for the Blu-ray.
