The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
Back to trending 
A Simple Story
Drama · Romance · 1978
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.
Movie details
A Simple Story
“...it could be yours”
1978 Drama · Romance 1h 47m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.0 / 10
Community rating
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.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over A Simple Story?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Adrenaline Seeker
“If it slows down, you check your phone.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Beyond the Clouds
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Four tales, each centered on a woman, journey inward to explore the enigmatic reality of their lives, connecting through a single narrative thread.
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Ordinary Love
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Elena Undone
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The wife of a pastor who preaches against homosexuality embarks on an affair with a female writer.
Not Easily Broken
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A car accident and shifting affections test the bond between a married couple.
My Brilliant Career
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A young woman who is determined to maintain her independence finds herself at odds with her family who wants her to tame her wild side and get married.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Claude Sautet
Written by
Jean-Loup Dabadie · Claude Sautet
Romy Schneider
Marie
Bruno Cremer
Georges
Claude Brasseur
Serge
Arlette Bonnard
Gabrielle
Sophie Daumier
Esther
Éva Darlan
Anna
Jacques Sereys
Charles
Court is in session
Put A Simple Story on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.