Garde alternée is available on Netflix since May 5, 2026. It hit French cinemas on December 20, 2017, this comedy from Alexandra Leclère brings together Didier Bourdon, Valérie Bonneton and Isabelle Carré for a marital situation as absurd as it is contentious.
Shared Custody
Film | 2017
Cinema release: December 20, 2017
Available on Netflix since May 5, 2026
Comedy | Duration: 1h44
Directed by Alexandra Leclère | Starring Didier Bourdon, Valérie Bonneton, Isabelle Carré
Original title: Garde alternée
Nationality: France
Sandrine learns that her husband of fifteen years, Jean, is involved with another woman. Rather than walk away immediately, she seeks out Virginie, the rival, and offers a bold plan: they share Jean—one week with him, then another week apart. The two women impose this new arrangement on the unfaithful husband, turning adultery into a matter of domestic logistics.
Alexandra Leclère places Garde alternée in the line of her comedies that drill into intimate power dynamics, following Les Sœurs fâchées, Le Prix à payer, Maman and Le Grand partage. The director drew on a personal incident—a relationship uncovered via SMS—to shape the premise, choosing to center the wife’s point of view rather than the mistress.
This choice gives the film its driving force: Sandrine doesn't just bargain with Virginie; she reasserts control over a situation that had eluded her. Jean, a literature professor played by Didier Bourdon, becomes the focal point of a sharing he accepts more than he negotiates, as the two women redefine the rules of the relationship on their own terms.
The film also reunites Alexandra Leclère, Valérie Bonneton and Didier Bourdon, two years after Le Grand partage. Across from them, Isabelle Carré portrays Virginie, the bookseller with whom Jean has started a new chapter in his life. The trio lets the comedy explore multiple tones: jealousy, routine, desire, but also the immaturity of a man placed at the center of a conflict he can no longer control.
This Netflix drop lets you discover or revisit Garde alternée in streaming, far from its original theatrical release context. The film may appeal to fans of French comedies about relationships, impossible arrangements, and characters trying to take back control of their love lives.
Trailer for Garde alternée:
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