Violette Nozière

Posted 21 May 2007 in screencaps Screening log
“You must have a great destiny!”

Rating


1978 - France

Director
Claude Chabrol

Starring
Isabelle Huppert, Stephane Audran                      

Utterly brilliant portrait of a psychopath. Chabrol at his best is tremendously subtle and even-handed, and his deft touch is precise and effective here, in a film that tells the true story of a teenage girl who attempts murdering her parents in the name of love. The Nozières live in an impossibly small apartment, every aspect of their lives overlapping. It’s not hard to understand how Violette begins to conflate love, sex, and money. Her mother calls her father “father.” Her father looks at her a little too attentively in the bathroom. She hears her parents making love. Small stashes of money are hidden around the house. Though her mother takes great pains to raise her to be a proper young woman, Violette really only tries to emulate her mother. The roles and relationships in this family are deliciously — but so quietly! — fucked up. Yes, she acts violently to please a lover, but in the end all she wants in the world is her mother’s love and forgiveness. Brilliantly structured, economical, powerful film. This far exceeded my expectations, and two powerhouse performances from Huppert and Audran was almost too wondrous to behold!

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Lauren, 25, out-of-work librarian. At the moment, TLC is but a review blog and catalogue of my film-related perversions. I always plan to do more with it — and to one day step outside 30s Hollywood again. Who knows?


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