Name: A Simple Story
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: 1978-11-22
Duration: 1 h 47 min
Cast: Romy Schneider, Bruno Cremer, Claude Brasseur, Arlette Bonnard, Sophie Daumier

Where to watch

Set your services

Not streaming in United States. Where it is:

Fingerprint

Not for laughs, scares or adrenaline.

Movies with

Story

...it could be yours

A middle-aged woman leaves her partner and drifts back to her ex-husband, while the lives of her middle class friends intersect with her own.

Feels like

Quiet French Drama
Middle-Class Disillusionment
Character Study
Melancholic Realism
Subtle Social Critique
Intimate Dialogue
Slow-Burn Narrative
Emotional Drift
Psychological Nuance

Cast

14 of 14

Crew

Directed by: Claude Sautet
Written by: Claude Sautet, Jean-Loup Dabadie
Produced by: Claude Berri, Horst Wendlandt, Alain Sarde
Music by: Philippe Sarde

Everyone

Pick a department, or search for a name or a job (“editor”, “stunt”).

Titles like A Simple Story

nearer = more alike

8

You are here: A Simple Story

Point to compare, tap or drag to moveHold to compare, tap or drag to move

You are herePreview

vscompared with A Simple Story

A Simple Story1978

Point at a poster to compare itHold a poster to compare it

This pageTap it to move here

A chip fills to its level. Tap a full one for titles without that trait, a low one for titles with it.

Open a page:Another Year (2010)Rita (2012)Alone (2008)45 Years (2015)Things to Come (2016)Olive Kitteridge (2014)Scenes from a Marriage (2021)Friends with Money (2006)Scenes from a Marriage (1974)My Life Without Me (2003)To Leslie (2022)Certain Women (2016)La Ciénaga (2001)Away from Her (2007)All or Nothing (2002)Vladimir (2026)Innocence (1997)Mondays in the Sun (2002)After the Storm (2016)Mother and Child (2009)Pieces of a Woman (2020)Monster's Ball (2001)Last Night (1998)A Separation (2011)Tully (2018)Love Is Strange (2014)I've Loved You So Long (2008)Sorry, Baby (2025)The Roses (2025)Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)Ten (2002)I Am Love (2010)Climates (2006)Open Hearts (2002)Thirteen Conversations About One Thing (2001)Secrets & Lies (1996)Our Friend (2019)Like Father, Like Son (2013)The Wife (2017)La Notte (1961)Still Walking (2008)The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017)One True Thing (1998)Before Midnight (2013)The Weather Man (2005)Let Them All Talk (2020)Death of a Salesman (1985)Matthias & Maxime (2019)You Can Count on Me (2000)Marvin's Room (1996)Thappad (2020)DTF St. Louis (2026)Causeway (2022)September (1987)Shoplifters (2018)Vortex (2021)Distant (2002)My King (2015)Other People (2016)Chiraiya (2026)The Savages (2007)Fences (2016)Interiors (1978)Passages (2023)

More drama movies

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
GoodWatch score 83
Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
GoodWatch score 80
A Star Is Born (2018)
GoodWatch score 83
The Devil's Advocate (1997)
GoodWatch score 69
Moonlight (2016)
GoodWatch score 86
Creed (2015)
GoodWatch score 84
War Dogs (2016)
GoodWatch score 64
Changeling (2008)
GoodWatch score 69

Facts

November 22, 1978 · 1 h 47 min · Drama, Romance

Released: November 22, 1978
Runtime: 1 h 47 min
Genres: Drama, Romance
Original language: French
Also spoken: English
Made in: France
Available in: 5 countries

Tropes

Bookends, Chick Flick, Thousand-Yard Stare +9

Bookends
Chick Flick
Thousand-Yard Stare
Driven to Suicide
Sex with the Ex
Love Triangle
Good Girls Avoid Abortion
Married to the Job
Downer Beginning
"Dear John" Letter
Pair the Spares
Would Hit a Girl

12 of 14 tropes. From TV Tropes.

Q&A

5 questions, like "Where can I stream A Simple Story?"

Questions about A Simple Story

Quick answers from GoodWatch data.

Where can I stream A Simple Story?

It streams in 2 other countries, but not in the United States.

Is A Simple Story worth watching?

69

GoodGoodWatch score

Mostly, it's well received, with a GoodWatch score of 69 (IMDb 6.8).

Is A Simple Story good for date night?

and 1 morePartner WatchAdultsFriends NightIntergenerationalPublic Viewing Safe

It suits a quiet night in as a couple: romance is 6 of 10, but the viewing guide doesn't list it for date night.

Is A Simple Story plot-driven or character-driven?

CharactersPlot

Mostly character-driven: it leans on character depth (8 of 10) and dialogue centrality (8 of 10) more than on its plot.

Is A Simple Story in English?

FrenchEnglish

No, it was made in French, with some English.