Gabrielle grows up within the small, rural middle class, where her dream of absolute passion causes a scandal. At a time when all women are good for is marriage, she is believed to be mad. Her parents give José, a seasonal worker, the responsibility for making her a “respectable woman”. Unable to love, Gabrielle is buried alive in her arranged marriage. Sent to a spa to treat his kidney stones, a lieutenant wounded in the war in Indochina revives Gabrielle’s urgency to love. She promises they will run away together and he seems to respond to her desire. This time no one will take from her what she calls "the main thing". Gabrielle wants to go after her dream.

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This movie by Nicole Garcia (Vendôme, The Adversary, A View of Love) sometimes lacks warmth and energy due to its rather formal mise en scène, which is devoid of depth or dimension. From the Land of the Moon, which was presented at the official competition at Cannes, is therefore off-putting because of its mechanical approach, which is too light and almost out of step with the love and passion at the heart of the story. Luckily, there is Marion Cotillard, who is luminous and mesmerizing, adding an intensity that allows her to leave the beaten track for a moving – even surprising – performance during the last part of the film.