The serenity we watch at the beginning of the story, a boy at a beach, is shattered as he is hit by a speeding car near his home. We know something bad was about to happen as Claude Chabrol, the director, sits us, his audience, in the back seat of the car, but he only lets us see the backs of the killer and the woman in the passenger's seat. The impact jolts the woman, who lets out a horrible scream, but the man couldn't care less about what he has done.
Charles Thenier, the father of the dead boy, Michel, is shattered by the discovery of his dead son. He goes into a deep grief, ordering to get rid of the boy's possessions. On a visit to the house in Brittany, he questions the old servant if she discarded everything, but she breaks down and tells him she couldn't part with Michel's toys. Charles vows to avenge Michel's death. He will not stop before he finds, and kills the person who caused the tragedy. Charles begins to write all his findings in a diary that he fills with details about the murder.
Just by accident, Charles learns about the woman who was a passenger in the car. She happens to be an actress and he follows her. It's easy for him to fake he is in love with her. Charles, who has begun a diary about his findings is interested in knowing all about this beautiful woman. Helen tells Charles, about a sister that lives in Brittany. As it turned out, her sister lives not far from his own town. As Helen thinks her involvement with Charles is getting serious, she invites him to go with her to visit her sister and her family.
Helen's sister is married to Paul Decourt, a boorish man who makes fun of his wife's artistic temperament. Paul, who owns a large garage, fits the description of the killer of Michel. Charles finds an ally in Phillippe Decourt, the son of Paul, an intense young man who is ridiculed by his own father. Charles, who has planned to take Paul for a boat ride in order to kill him, but he finds a formidable foe. Decourt tells him he has given the diary, in which Charles has written his feelings about Paul Decourt. As Helen and Charles are driving back to Paris, they are surprised to learn about Paul's death by poisoning and they go back.
When confronted by the police inspector, Charles, tells all he knows, but his interrogator doesn't believe in what he has to say, or his alibi. It seems that Charles contributed to the suspicion that now falls on him as the possible murderer when he had nothing to do with it. When Phillippe confesses about doing his father in, it appears he is covering for Charles. The last scenes of the film have a calming effect as we see Charles in his boat in the middle of the sea sailing to an unknown destination.
Claude Chabrol is an excellent adapter of other people's material. This film is based on a Nicholas Blake novel we read some time ago. As he did with Ruth Rendell's "A Judgment in Stone", he wrote a magnificent screen treatment of this complex novel. Chabrol is not interested in keeping the killer's identity from his audience. We know throughout the narrative who was the one responsible for young Michel's death, yet, there is suspense in watching Charles preparing for his revenge carefully.
Jean Yanne, who was seen in Chabrol's "Le Boucher", returns as Paul Decourt, a far more colorful character without any redeeming qualities. Michel Dushaussoy who plays Charles goes from the despair at the start of the film into a quiet man who is biding his time to do the right thing to avenge his son. Mark DiNapoli, is another asset to the film. He is a calculating young man who hates his father and sees in Charles a kind soul that shows him the attention he never got from his old man. Caroline Cellier appears as Helen Lanson, a beautiful woman who falls in love with Charles. Raymone, who plays Paul Decourt's mother has two great scenes in which she reveals her true nature; she is just the female version of her son. Maurice Pialat, the director, is seen as a police inspector.
The musical score is by Dominique Zardi, who also has a small part in the film. Brittany's landscape is captured by Jean Rabier. The film is one of Claude Chabrol's best directorial efforts.
Charles Thenier, the father of the dead boy, Michel, is shattered by the discovery of his dead son. He goes into a deep grief, ordering to get rid of the boy's possessions. On a visit to the house in Brittany, he questions the old servant if she discarded everything, but she breaks down and tells him she couldn't part with Michel's toys. Charles vows to avenge Michel's death. He will not stop before he finds, and kills the person who caused the tragedy. Charles begins to write all his findings in a diary that he fills with details about the murder.
Just by accident, Charles learns about the woman who was a passenger in the car. She happens to be an actress and he follows her. It's easy for him to fake he is in love with her. Charles, who has begun a diary about his findings is interested in knowing all about this beautiful woman. Helen tells Charles, about a sister that lives in Brittany. As it turned out, her sister lives not far from his own town. As Helen thinks her involvement with Charles is getting serious, she invites him to go with her to visit her sister and her family.
Helen's sister is married to Paul Decourt, a boorish man who makes fun of his wife's artistic temperament. Paul, who owns a large garage, fits the description of the killer of Michel. Charles finds an ally in Phillippe Decourt, the son of Paul, an intense young man who is ridiculed by his own father. Charles, who has planned to take Paul for a boat ride in order to kill him, but he finds a formidable foe. Decourt tells him he has given the diary, in which Charles has written his feelings about Paul Decourt. As Helen and Charles are driving back to Paris, they are surprised to learn about Paul's death by poisoning and they go back.
When confronted by the police inspector, Charles, tells all he knows, but his interrogator doesn't believe in what he has to say, or his alibi. It seems that Charles contributed to the suspicion that now falls on him as the possible murderer when he had nothing to do with it. When Phillippe confesses about doing his father in, it appears he is covering for Charles. The last scenes of the film have a calming effect as we see Charles in his boat in the middle of the sea sailing to an unknown destination.
Claude Chabrol is an excellent adapter of other people's material. This film is based on a Nicholas Blake novel we read some time ago. As he did with Ruth Rendell's "A Judgment in Stone", he wrote a magnificent screen treatment of this complex novel. Chabrol is not interested in keeping the killer's identity from his audience. We know throughout the narrative who was the one responsible for young Michel's death, yet, there is suspense in watching Charles preparing for his revenge carefully.
Jean Yanne, who was seen in Chabrol's "Le Boucher", returns as Paul Decourt, a far more colorful character without any redeeming qualities. Michel Dushaussoy who plays Charles goes from the despair at the start of the film into a quiet man who is biding his time to do the right thing to avenge his son. Mark DiNapoli, is another asset to the film. He is a calculating young man who hates his father and sees in Charles a kind soul that shows him the attention he never got from his old man. Caroline Cellier appears as Helen Lanson, a beautiful woman who falls in love with Charles. Raymone, who plays Paul Decourt's mother has two great scenes in which she reveals her true nature; she is just the female version of her son. Maurice Pialat, the director, is seen as a police inspector.
The musical score is by Dominique Zardi, who also has a small part in the film. Brittany's landscape is captured by Jean Rabier. The film is one of Claude Chabrol's best directorial efforts.