A Little Sun in Cold Water (1971): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1971, A Little Sun in Cold Water is a drama and romance film directed by Jacques Deray, running about 110 minutes.

What it’s about. Gilles Lantier, a young reporter on the AFP newspaper, is suffering from a nervous breakdown. Realising that neither his friend Jean nor his girlfriend Eloïse can help him, he decides to stay with his sister Odile, who lives near Limoges. At a party one evening he meets a wealthy bourgeois woman named Nathalie Sylvener. It is love at first sight, and on his return to Paris, Gilles tells Eloïse that he is now devotedly attached to another woman. Although Nathalie agrees to live with him in Paris, she rejects Gilles' offer of marriage. It is not long before the couple have settled into a routine and their passion begins to cool. Then Nathalie suddenly disappears from Gilles' life...

Who’s in it. A Little Sun in Cold Water stars Marc Porel as Gilles Lantier, Claudine Auger as Nathalie Silvener, Barbara Bach as Héloïse / Elvire and Jean-Claude Carrière as François, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.4/10, A Little Sun in Cold Water has proved divisive with audiences.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch A Little Sun in Cold Water page.

If you liked it. Fans of A Little Sun in Cold Water tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.