LONDON , England ( CNN ) -- When a woman dates a much older man , bystanders often speculate that she has only the most superficial of motives . French actress Ludivine Sagnier stars in veteran New Wave filmmaker Claude Chabrol 's `` The Girl Cut in Two . '' In `` The Girl Cut in Two , '' veteran French filmmaker Claude Chabrol tells the story of one young woman for whom just the opposite is true . It stars French starlet Ludivine Sagnier as a young woman who rejects the amorous advances of a flashy , wealthy man her age , in favor of a sleazy affair with a fickle , 60 year-old father figure . Sagnier 's desire to take on the role was also motivated by the allure of a much older man : Chabrol . `` The idea of working with Claude Chabrol was the main attraction at the beginning , '' she told CNN . `` He is a great French director , one of the pioneers of the French New Wave . '' `` The guy has so much experience . I felt like I was a journalist , always asking things , '' continues Sagnier . `` He 's very old ... he 's been through many , many things . This was his 66th movie , or something like that . '' Sagnier describes her character , Gabrielle de Neige , a charming , 20-something television weather girl , as `` very naive . '' `` She falls in a trap like a poor little lamb and she gets eaten by wolves . `` The thing is , she does n't have a dad , so she lacks affection , and sometimes that lack of affection can drive you to make mistakes . `` I 'd say I 'm stronger than that , '' says 29 year-old Sagnier , who is perhaps best-known for her provocative portrayal of a highly-sexualized teenager opposite Charlotte Rampling in Francois Ozon 's 2003 drama , `` Swimming Pool . '' Sagnier who is often compared with screen sirens like Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Deneuve , drew international acclaim for a series of films in 2002 and 2003 , but has recently has been taking smaller roles . Many of the qualities that attracted Sagnier to Chabrol are similar to those that draw her on-screen alter-ego Gabrielle to writer Charles Saint-Denis ( Francois Berleand ) -- Charles ' knowledge of life , literature and his ability to treat her like a little girl , not as an equal . Sagnier says of working with Chabrol : `` It was like opening a cinema book , because when you work with him he talks to you about Hitchcock , he talks to you about Kubrick . `` He met everyone , so he 's full of anecdotes , so you want to know more . '' Chabrol began his career in 1956 , earning his stripes alongside fellow New Wave directors Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut . He became famous in the late 1960s for suspense thrillers such as `` La Femme Infidele '' ( 1969 ) and `` Le Boucher '' ( 1971 ) . He has continued working prolifically in film and television ever since . Chabrol co-wrote the screenplay for the heartbreak drama , in which Sagnier character is consistently disappointed in love and let down by the men around her , with his step-daughter , Cecile Maistre , who also served as assistant director on the film . At the end of `` The Girl Cut In Two , '' Sagnier appears on stage as a magician 's assistant , smiling in the spotlight as she hears applause rise from the audience , the attention perhaps curing her depression over lovers lost . She lies in a box , appearing to be cut in half , the trick functioning as an almost literal embodiment of the film 's title -- but clearly there 's more to it than meets the eye . `` She cuts into two men first of all , and she 's also cut in two different sides of her personality , '' said Sagnier . `` She has a part of shade and a part of lightness . '' Sagnier 's fate since her collaboration with Chabrol has , thankfully , been a decidedly rosier affair : Since finishing `` The Girl Cut in Two , '' she has starred in Jean-Francois Richet 's , `` Public Enemy No . 1 , '' which received more nominations than any other film at the 2009 Cesar Awards , France 's equivalent of the Oscars . The indefatigable Chabrol has recently wrapped up yet another film : `` Bellamy '' starring Gerard Depardieu . `` The Girl Cut In Two '' is released in the UK on 22 May 2009 .
French starlet Annie Sagnier stars in ` ` The Girl Cut In Two '' It tells the story of a young woman who carries on an affair with an older man . It was directed by prolific French New Wave veteran Claude Chabrol . Sagnier on screen : ` ` He is a great French director , one of the pioneers ''