Madeleine Collins (2021)

In French-speaking Switzerland, in a department store changing room, a woman loses consciousness and says she hit her head. She regains consciousness and leaves the store. Cries are then heard; the saleswoman goes to investigate and lets out a horrified scream. Judith “Jud” Fauvet (Virginie Efira) is a conference interpreter and the wife of Melvil (Bruno Salomone), an orchestra conductor. They have two sons. Her work as an interpreter for the Collins company takes her on frequent trips. But instead of going to Poland or Spain, as she claims, she actually goes to Switzerland, where she leads a double life with Abdel Soriano (Quim Gutiérrez), the husband of her late sister Margot, with whom she is raising her niece Ninon, whom she has cared for since she was a baby. She also has a fake Swiss identity card in her sister’s name. But it is becoming increasingly difficult for her to keep her two lives separate. Her son Joris is beginning to grow seriously suspicious. She unexpectedly runs into people who might accidentally give her away. One evening, Judith’s parents turn up unannounced at Abdel’s home. They are devastated to hear little Ninon call Judith “Mom.” Unable to bear the scene, Judith drives off. She speeds, is stopped by the police, and is unable to show the officer any identification. The officer spots a library card in the car, in the name of Margot Soriano. A database check reveals that Margot Soriano died three years earlier. Judith is taken to the police station and ordered to give her real identity. Margot died from the impact of a blow to her head. Since Ninon was a baby at the time, Judith had in effect taken Margot’s place, leading Ninon to believe she was her mother. Judith decides to leave Melvil. A voicemail from the Collins company tells her that she has been fired. She goes to Abdel’s, and they have a violent argument. Judith takes Ninon away, but the little girl is very agitated because of the argument she witnessed. She eventually guesses the truth and tells Judith repeatedly that she is not her mother. Judith admits the truth to her, takes Ninon back to Abdel, and leaves. She meets Kurt (Nadav Lapid) at a gas station; he was the one who had provided her with her fake identity card. He gives her a new card, under a second fictional identity. From now on, Judith’s name is Madeleine Collins.