Female Agents

Female Agents (original French title Les Femmes de l'ombre) is a 2008 French historical drama and war film directed by Jean-Paul Salomé, who co-wrote the screenplay with Laurent Vachaud. The story follows Louise Desfontaines, a veteran of the French Resistance who is recruited during the Second World War by the SOE, the British secret intelligence and sabotage service.

Her mission is to free a British geologist agent captured by the Germans while preparing for the Normandy landings, before he can be made to talk. To pull it off, Louise hastily assembles an all-female commando: Suzy, a cabaret dancer skilled at charming men; Gaëlle, a chemist and explosives expert; and Jeanne, a prostitute capable of killing in cold blood. The film stars Sophie Marceau, Julie Depardieu, Marie Gillain, Déborah François and Moritz Bleibtreu. Salomé drew inspiration from a Times obituary of SOE heroine Lise de Baissac, on whom the character of Louise is based.