Just Before Nightfall
Just Before Nightfall is a 1971 French crime drama film written and directed by Claude Chabrol and starring Stéphane Audran and Michel Bouquet. Based on the 1951 novel The Thin Line by Edward Atiyah, it follows a married businessman who, after killing his mistress, tries to ease his conscience by confessing to his wife and the victim's husband.
Plot
Charles Masson, a married advertising executive and father of two children, has an affair with Laura, the wife of his best friend François, an architect. During one of their sadomasochistic sex games, Charles strangles Laura. While the police do not suspect him, his conscience drives Charles to confess his crime first to his wife Hélène and later to François. Both ask him not to turn himself over to the authorities, as this would not bring Laura back to life and only destroy his family. Charles becomes gradually convinced that Laura's death was not an accident but his intention, as he felt humiliated by her. Unable to stand the strain any longer, Charles announces to Hélène that he will go to the police the next morning to make a confession. Hélène, preparing Charles' sleep medicine, deliberately gives him an overdose. His death is classified as a suicide. Some time later, Hélène sits at the beach with her children and her mother, who remarks that the children seem to get over their father's death.
More details
| author | Claude Chabrol |
|---|---|
| director | Claude Chabrol |
| editor | Jacques Gaillard |
| genre | crime drama thriller |
| keywords | advertising executive back to life best friend classify married morning sex game |
| musicBy | Pierre Jansen |
| producer | André Génovès |
| productionCompany | Cinegai S.p.A. Les Films de la Boétie |
| publisher | Columbia Pictures |
| recordedAt | Paris |
| theme | psychological thriller |