by Erin McGee
In a time where society seems to have a particular fixation with true crime stories– such as Netflix’s popular Making A Murderer – Claude Chabrol’s DVD rerelease appropriately explores the unsettling elements of the human psyche. The two most poignant of these are a reliance on loving relationships, and the capability of committing violent acts. These are woven together in Violette Nozière in a manner, which suggests that they are closer linked than we would perhaps care to admit.
The story, based on real events, follows the 18-year-old Violette (Isabelle Huppert) who, to combat the suppression she feels from her strict parents, leads a double life – one where she smokes, sneaks out and meets men in motels. Where the plot deviates from the norm and, arguably, cliché is when she meets the, quite literal, man of her dreams Jean (Jean-Francois Garreaud) and is willing to kill in order to continue her relationship with him.
Chabrol is not attempting to present the viewer with explanations, but perhaps here the lesson lies in the ambiguity. The fluid camera angles and changes of perspective toy with the emotional as well as physical distance between the viewer and the characters. This detachment shows that Chabrol is not trying to glorify the choices made, but rather to show what people are capable of. Furthermore, the binary oppositions effectively illustrate the complexity and contradictions of human nature. This idea is personified through Huppert’s endearing performance which consistently balances the naivety with the erotic, the cold-hearted with the affectionate. The intentions of these enigmatic characters are never defined and this, teamed with Chabrol’s fondness towards the symbolic, calls into question just how much we can trust our perceptions.
[imdb id=tt0078467]