It is common for the simple untrained mind to easily interpret the "murderer", or rather, the guilty one, as the protagonist actually committing the murder....
But this is one brilliant piece of work by Chabrol, that actually plays with the thoughts and dogmas of the typical mindset, and constantly leaves us trying to grasp the most crucial aspect, namely: what are we failing to see? For starters, we have Popaul, a seemingly perfect sophisticated gentleman, falling for Helene. And Chabrol gives hints that perhaps he is the one behind the murders which suddenly start occurring shortly after he meets Helene. But we cannot be sure. All we are exposed to are hints. For the sharp eye, it is clear that deep inside, he is deprived. That is revealed when he meets Helene in the woods and directly asks her why she was still single. One of the crucial turning points was when Helene presented him with a lighter.
It is then that the real theme, and motives of this flick begin to emerge and take shape in the eyes of the audience/ viewers. In my opinion, Popaul wanted helene to realise that he was the actual "human" butcher, when he "accidentally" left behind his lighter at the scene. Possibly a deliberate attempt by popaul to make Helene understand that his lack of her, or her resentment, was what was behind his acts.
Immediately the plot gets enshrouded in an air of shock, confusion, mystery, which drags our minds towards the "Popaul - killer", "Helene - unfortunate bystander-cum-would-be-lover" idea. A close analysis later makes us really wonder whether Helene is as innocent as she believes herself to be. After all, Popaul represents some of our most innate desires - the desire to be recognised, and loved.
On a more interesting note, his opportunity to kill Helene, in the last few minutes of the film, and his attempted suicide instead - show clearly that he was driven to such heinous crimes not because of any passion towards murder, but rather helene's denying him the love he craved for.
The intense shots of Helene's blond hair...............a clear glimpse into Helene's darker sinister side................Chabrol subtly hints to us that she is the "real" criminal, who brings out the monster in Popaul,.................in contrast to her opening image of being the kind caring school teacher, dedicated to the happiness of the younger generation.
A film which truly plays with our minds, and in a way, drifts away from the common mainstream thought and idea of how a murderer, victim, etc should be portrayed, and playing further with the idea of innocence. A truly noteworthy attempt by Chabrol to place before us Helene, an "epitome of innocence", who later became the real culprit of all the murders. Chabrol has created a flick with a mesh of intrigue,contradiction,mystery, with an outer "typical" surface plot for the common mindset, with an inner subtle twist which surfaces later on.
But this is one brilliant piece of work by Chabrol, that actually plays with the thoughts and dogmas of the typical mindset, and constantly leaves us trying to grasp the most crucial aspect, namely: what are we failing to see? For starters, we have Popaul, a seemingly perfect sophisticated gentleman, falling for Helene. And Chabrol gives hints that perhaps he is the one behind the murders which suddenly start occurring shortly after he meets Helene. But we cannot be sure. All we are exposed to are hints. For the sharp eye, it is clear that deep inside, he is deprived. That is revealed when he meets Helene in the woods and directly asks her why she was still single. One of the crucial turning points was when Helene presented him with a lighter.
It is then that the real theme, and motives of this flick begin to emerge and take shape in the eyes of the audience/ viewers. In my opinion, Popaul wanted helene to realise that he was the actual "human" butcher, when he "accidentally" left behind his lighter at the scene. Possibly a deliberate attempt by popaul to make Helene understand that his lack of her, or her resentment, was what was behind his acts.
Immediately the plot gets enshrouded in an air of shock, confusion, mystery, which drags our minds towards the "Popaul - killer", "Helene - unfortunate bystander-cum-would-be-lover" idea. A close analysis later makes us really wonder whether Helene is as innocent as she believes herself to be. After all, Popaul represents some of our most innate desires - the desire to be recognised, and loved.
On a more interesting note, his opportunity to kill Helene, in the last few minutes of the film, and his attempted suicide instead - show clearly that he was driven to such heinous crimes not because of any passion towards murder, but rather helene's denying him the love he craved for.
The intense shots of Helene's blond hair...............a clear glimpse into Helene's darker sinister side................Chabrol subtly hints to us that she is the "real" criminal, who brings out the monster in Popaul,.................in contrast to her opening image of being the kind caring school teacher, dedicated to the happiness of the younger generation.
A film which truly plays with our minds, and in a way, drifts away from the common mainstream thought and idea of how a murderer, victim, etc should be portrayed, and playing further with the idea of innocence. A truly noteworthy attempt by Chabrol to place before us Helene, an "epitome of innocence", who later became the real culprit of all the murders. Chabrol has created a flick with a mesh of intrigue,contradiction,mystery, with an outer "typical" surface plot for the common mindset, with an inner subtle twist which surfaces later on.