Overview
Gang of Four is a 1989 French drama film directed by Jacques Rivette. It was entered into the 39th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won a Honourable Mention.
Plot
Four women (Anna, Claude, Joyce, and Cécile) live together on a small estate in suburban Paris and take acting classes in the city. One of the women, Cécile, moves out to be with her boyfriend leading to another woman, Lucia, moving in. Cécile's departure and reticence to provide many details about her move cause some concern although this is eclipsed by the routine of acting classes. These acting classes are held out of a derelict theater and taught by a demanding former-actress, Constance. Constance runs her theater more like a cult than a school: its membership is small, highly restrictive, and costly; students must fully dedicate themselves to Constance's classes, even if it means sacrificing their livelihood; and Constance's focus on non-constructive criticism keeps hers students insecure/committed for years. In turn, Constance's students seem to suffer from an unwarranted hero worship for Constance. Constance's students never rehearse plays, only scenes interrupted by Constance's criticism.
In part because of Constance's many restrictions, her students live whimsical, bohemian lifestyles. Although their lifestyles are largely paid for by others, they are seemingly isolated from those around them. This frequently manifests with their manic or otherwise irrational behavior.
Joyce, Anna, and Claude each individually encounter an eccentric, enigmatic man. Joyce is the first to meet him and he provides her with his phone number, which she initially doesn't call. Anna later meets him at an art gallery although she brushes him off. She leaves the gallery alone but on her way out is encountered by a pair of purported thugs. The man conveniently rescues her from possible assault and offers to drive her home. On the car ride back, he introduces himself as an ex-business partner of Cécile's boyfriend. He claims that they used to make fraudulent ID cards together. He also claims that both Cécile and her boyfriend are now in a great deal of trouble. He somehow knows the exact route back to Anna's house without her directions, prompting concern by Anna.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).