Summary
Disillusioned by the failings of a materialistic society, a young man, Charles, searches
in vain for meaning in his life. Education, physical love, religion, politics, religion,
even psychiatric treatment… Nothing, it seems, can offer him a reason for living.
But he cannot bring himself to commit suicide...
Review
Robert Bresson’s darkest film, probably. Filmed in the minimalist, yet effective,
style that distinguished Bresson’s later films, Le Diable probablement is a film
which reflects both Bresson’s belief in the sanctity of the human soul and the growing
public concern arising from shocking ecological and political disasters of the mid 1970s.
Bresson relieves his audience of the burden of suspense by telling us the film’s outcome
in its opening shot. Likewise, his technique of getting his actors to display no
visible emotions in their performances and avoiding filming dramatic sequences directly
(except for the remarkable tree-felling sequence), bleeds the film of any theatrical artifice
and melodrama. What is left is a cold, cynical portrayal of one man’s journey towards
self-destruction.
A compelling and thought-provoking film which is as relevant today as it was when it was
first released.
© James Travers 2000
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