Que la bête meure / Niech bestia zdycha
1969, 110 min.

special screening following digital restoration

Awards and selections: National Board of Review 1971 – Best Foreign Film
Director: Claude Chabrol
Cast: Michel Duchaussoy, Caroline Cellier, Jean Yanne, Anouk Ferjac
Country: France

[IN-PERSON SCREENING]

Victim or executioner? A case study

After his son is killed by a hit-and-run driver, devastated Charles sets out to find the perpetrator and take justice into his own hands. His search leads him from an accidental witness to a ruthless man whose life and relationships with those closest to him conceal dark secrets. “The Man Must Die” is a cool, meticulously constructed psychological thriller by Claude Chabrol, in which grief gradually turns into obsession. As tension builds in an oppressive atmosphere, the line between victim and executioner becomes increasingly blurred, and the desire for justice proves to be as dangerous as the crime itself.

Claude Chabrol

French director, screenwriter and film critic, and one of the most important figures of the French New Wave. Before turning to filmmaking, he was a critic associated with Cahiers du Cinéma. As one of the movement’s key filmmakers, he became known for his psychological thrillers and incisive portraits of the bourgeoisie. His most important films include “Handsome Serge” (1958), “The Cousins” (1959), “The Unfaithful Wife” (1969), “Le Boucher” (1970) and “The Beast Must Die” (1969).

Tags: France, adaptation, crime and punishment

The “Critics’ Classics” section is organised in cooperation with the French Institute in Warsaw.