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6.4/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.4/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. La belle de nuit remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Look, if you have a soft spot for 1930s French cinema that feels like it was filmed in a smoky room while everyone was having a collective nervous breakdown, then sure. It is worth a watch for the sheer audacity of the plot. But if you hate watching people act like absolute garbage for ninety minutes, stay away. This isn't a romantic comedy; it is a long, slow study in toxic behavior.
Claude finds out his girl is stepping out with a friend from the war. Instead of, you know, just walking away, he goes full vengeance mode. He finds a double—a prostitute—and starts training her to play the role of his ex. It is deeply uncomfortable to watch. The whole thing feels like a bad dare that went on for way too long.
There is this one moment where the lead looks at the imposter and you can tell he is already regretting it, but he just keeps going because he is too proud to stop. It is the kind of character flaw that makes you want to reach into the screen and shake them. The pacing is a bit all over the place, too. Some scenes just drag, and then suddenly we are onto the next scheme without any breathing room.
It reminds me a bit of the cynical energy in A Divorce of Convenience, where everything is just a little bit transactional. People are treated like chess pieces rather than actual human beings. It is grim, but in a very specific, old-fashioned way.
Is it a masterpiece? Hardly. It is a strange little relic that forgets to be charming. But it is genuinely fascinating to see how these characters dig their own graves. It isn't as polished as some other dramas from the era, but that imperfection is exactly why I kept watching. Sometimes you need a movie that doesn't try to make you like the people on screen. 🍷
