Bluebeard

Plot

In France in the mid-'50s, Catherine (Marilou Lopes-Benites) enjoys toying with her older sister, Marie-Anne (Lola Giovannetti), by reading her the story of the murderous and oft-married Bluebeard, embellishing the story with plenty of gore and scaring the girl out of her wits. As Catherine rereads the story, we're taken back to the year 1697, as Lord Bluebeard (Dominique Thomas) prepares to make Marie-Catherine (Lola Créton) his seventh wife. Marie-Catherine's youth and innocence make her an especially attractive quarry to Bluebeard, and rather than murder her right away, he decides to wait a while in order to savor the terrible joy of claiming her life. However, as Bluebeard becomes caught in a cycle of events that keep him from following through on his wife's murder, the two slowly become something like a normal couple and Marie-Catherine begins to turn the tables on her spouse.

Why watch

Marie-Catherine stands at the threshold of a grand yet foreboding castle, her fate hanging in the balance as she contemplates her impending marriage to the enigmatic Lord Bluebeard. As the story unfolds, the film immerses viewers in a haunting exploration of desire, power, and the dark undercurrents of love. Watching it feels like traversing a shadowy dreamscape where innocence is both a weapon and a vulnerability, leaving you questioning the very nature of trust and betrayal.

Talking points

• the nature of power in relationships
• the role of storytelling in shaping identity
• the implications of innocence and experience
• feminist interpretations of classic tales

Cultural context

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