Adapted from a novel by Georges Simenon, Betty stars Marie Trintignant in the title role. A drunken wastrel, Betty is adopted after a fashion by an older female alcoholic named Laure, played by director Claude Chabrol's wife at the time, Stéphane Audran. Fascinated by Betty's hard-luck tales, Laure endeavors to protect the younger woman from the ravages of a cruel world. Unfortunately, she turns a blind eye to Betty's larcenous streak, which manifests itself at the worst possible moments. This tale of a irredeemable ne'er-do-well is fleshed out by a flashback-flashforward technique that some observers found confusing and distracting. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This thriller from veteran director Claude Chabrol is a tense suspense drama, leavened with sly humor, about the fallout from a shocking crime in a small town. Frederique Lesage (Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi), the new chief of police in a cozy and fashionable seaside community in Brittany, soon finds her job more eventful than she expected when a ten-year-old girl is found raped and murdered. The last person to see her alive was René Sterne (Jacques Gamblin), a cynical and once-famous artist who has fallen on hard times and gives drawing lessons to children to make ends meet. René, who is passionately devoted to his wife (Sandrine Bonnaire), a nurse whose perpetual good cheer is the polar opposite of his personality, quickly becomes the prime suspect in the absence of any real clues. Meanwhile, Frederique becomes better acquainted with the eccentric residents of the town, including a self-important TV journalist (Antoine de Caunes), a small-time crook who fences stolen goods (Pierre Marlot), and a curious pair of married shopkeepers (Bulle Ogier and Noel Simsolo). Chabrol's son Matthieu Chabrol composed the score for this film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In a routine murder mystery based on a novel by Dominique Roulet, a cruel, wheelchair-bound invalid (Stephane Audran) who consistently terrorizes her teen son Louis (Lucas Belvaux) into abject obedience, is threatened with the loss of her home by a conniving trio who want her property as part of a deal for a lucrative development project. The three men are comprised of a butcher (Jean-Claude Bouillaud), a doctor (Jean Topart), and a notary (Michel Bouquet). Louis is a postal worker who is fending off the attentions of Henriette at the office (Pauline Lafont), and brings his mother all the mail scheduled for their trio of enemies, whereupon she steams it open and keeps herself informed about their plans. In retaliation for their attempts to seize his home, young Louis pours sugar into the butcher's gas tank which ultimately causes a fatal accident, and in fact, the doctor's wife has also died in a car accident. And now the notary's mistress is missing. Enter, at last, the imperious and heavy-handed Inspector Jean Lavardin (Jean Poiret) to finally go after the clues and the suspects until the case is solved. He succeeds admirably, and as a consequence, appears on his own in 1985's Inspector Lavardin. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

This French drama about the relationship between an insanely jealous man and his wife took 30 years to make. Since its inception by the late director Henri-Georges Clouzot the film was plagued with bad luck. He began filming it in 1964. There are only two characters in the film and on the third day of shooting the female lead became gravely ill. Later during rehearsals with a new actress, the director had a heart attack. Though he lived until 1977, he never got around to finishing it. The script was passed on to producer Marin Karmitz by Clouzot's widow. Paul wanted to buy the beautiful resort hotel he worked at for 15 years. His happy and spirited wife Nelly goes along with it. She is already a mother and contented with her life. Paul, who incurred tremendous debts to get the hotel, is not so happy. He is stressed to the breaking point. After he suspects his wife of philandering he slowly goes insane. He also begins increasing his consumption of alcohol and sleeping pills. Their lives become a living hell. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Inspecteur Lavardin is a mellow, take-your-time Claude Chabrol effort of the 1980s, partly financed by French television. Jean Poiret had previously played the role of Inspector Jean Lavardin in the 1984 Chabrol film Poulet au Vinaigre (aka Cop au Vin). This story is built completely around the Lavardin character. The good inspector travels to a small coastal town to investigate the puzzling death of a well-known writer. In the course of his probings, Lavardin inadvertently uncovers several skeletons -- the kind that people keep hidden in their closets. Chabrol co-wrote the screenplay of Inspecteur Lavardin with Dominque Roulet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide