Introduced by Anne-Marie Gronhovd, professor of French, Gustavus Adolphus College
In this voyeuristic meditation, “a celluloid equivalent of atonal music or free verse” (Time Out), shot at Duras’ country house, the director creates a cycle of laconic domestic ritual over the threat of impending doom. Two women (Jeanne Moreau and Lucia Bosé) share a home with their children. Barely able to contain their indifference to life, they’re distracted by the expulsion of one child from school, escaped convicts lurking in the neighborhood, and a bumbling washing machine salesman (Gérard Depardieu) who keeps pestering them. 1972, 16mm, in French with English subtitles, 83 minutes.