The Cinema Committee at the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation is screening today, Tuesday, the French film “An Infamous Old Woman” directed by René Allio, at 6:30 PM in the cinema hall at the foundation’s headquarters in Jabal Amman.

The film’s script, produced in 1965, is based on a story by German writer and director Bertolt Brecht. It revolves around Mrs. Bert, an old woman who spent her life serving her home, husband, and children, living isolated from the outside world.

The film begins with the death of her sick husband. Contrary to the tragic start suggesting a grieving widow facing life alone, the story unfolds differently. The husband’s death marks the beginning of the widow’s new life, portraying her journey of rediscovering her neglected self, embracing life anew, and seizing moments of joy regardless of others’ disapproval.

In the story, the old woman decides to reclaim the life stolen from her, spending her savings to enjoy life, which angers her dependent children who see her as a disreputable woman who has lost her mind. Conversely, she regains the wonder of children and finds joy in simple pleasures like going to the cinema, eating ice cream, and watching the sea. Bert decides to buy a car to help her explore life and places accompanied by a young disreputable waitress working at a nearby café.

The narrator’s voice appears at the film’s end, stating: “With the money she had, Bert lived two types of lives consecutively; the first as a maiden, wife, then mother, and the second as Mrs. Bert, a woman alone, without commitments and with limited financial resources. Her first life was harsh for sixty years, while the second lasted only a year and a half.”

“It’s never too late” was the widow’s guiding wisdom and one of the film’s key messages to the audience. Time is never too late for change, liberation, and passion for life, regardless of age. Interestingly, the film gave actress Sylvia (who played the old woman) her first leading role at the age of eighty. “An Infamous Old Woman” serves as a satire of French society at the time, mocking its misconceptions about women’s roles and the elderly’s relationship with life. The film won three awards, including Best Film and Best Actress awarded to the octogenarian Sylvia.