Sophie, who is illiterate due to mental illness, works as a servant in a rich mansion on the outskirts of a small town in Brittany. She has been working hard to conceal her illiteracy. She is obedient to the host’s instructions and what the host’s family gives her. And the treatment seems to be good. Sophie strengthened Jeanne, the postman in town, and was slightly infected by the jealous Jeanne. Finally one day, her illiterate secret was discovered by her family’s daughter. The contradiction broke out and the ending was extremely cruel... The same as Chabrol’s usual style: the film is actually not suspenseful, since the host was on the table next to Sophie while he was ironing clothes. The moment you took out the shotgun and fiddled with it, you can basically predict that the ending will be a tragedy. But the strength of this film is too fierce: the truth and hypocrisy of the humane spirit of this rich family are portrayed mercilessly; and the role of Jeanne (Isabelle Huppert is very good) is even more powerful, and she hates the rich. Completely lost the sense of morality, so it looks a little cute; the final killing in the sound of Mozart's majestic opera and the casual walk in the courtyard after the killing makes people chill...
The five stars are of course given to the two heroines: Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Bonnaire, one presumptuous and the other introverted, one talking and the other reluctant, one inciting an absorption, one leading and the other following-until the last moment the two become one and become comrades-in-arms. In other words, it’s hard to imagine how such a thoroughly de-mothed and ultimately explosive role would be performed. It doesn’t seem to have been seen in other places, even in their own films. It is quite special. But it is more because of a very French attribute of this film: this completely de-moralized noir film, a precise and presumptuous picture of class contradictions and class struggle. After the two female protagonists killed the male owner of the family, the "destruction" of the remaining family members was not to eliminate witnesses, but out of a posture that the war that had already started must be carried to the end. Every deceased was shot again after falling down, and facing the corpses and blood stains on the ground, the two female protagonists did not change their faces, Sophie said, ça va; Jeanne said, on a bien fait; bisou, farewell. Before leaving, Jeanne also moved the daughter's birthday present-a radio. "She doesn't use it anyway." In the face of this chilling cold blood, this rich family seemed to have no lack of humane spirit. Looking back at the first half of the film: The family gave Sophie treatment almost blameless, and the daughter Melinda at home was even more sympathetic, telling her parents that Sophie was not a robot, and told Sophie not to let her parents call her; when she understood Sophie was illiterate It is recommended to help her when it is caused by mental function problems. But it was this kind of concern that completely shattered Sophie's self-esteem and threatened Melinda, and the injured Melinda told her parents about the matter, which led to Sophie's expulsion. In other words, it was the family member who was the most caring and considerate of the poor who ultimately crushed the maid. If this movie makes you feel a little uncomfortable after watching it, and some do not know how to face it, then it is probably the right effect. Chabrol himself joked that this was "the last Marcus film", which was quite appropriate. Marcosism is not a kind of humanitarianism, which is its destructive power and charm.
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