Fantastic!

Disturbing yet enthralling

Best movie ever!

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

The characterization and build up to the climax is what convinced me to be a part of this enthralling movie. Adapting to the role was a bit challenging. But never once I felt hard as the director was extremely specific in what he wants from me. It pushed me to give my best, which is why I consider this as my career best performance.

A man murders his best friend's wife. Guilt leads him to confess to the crime to both his friend and his wife. They in turn forgive him his act of homicide, betrayal and infidelity. This unconditional forgiveness and lack of reproach drives him to despair.Despite the early scenes suggesting that this could be a thriller, as is the way with Claude Chabrol's other films, the narrative of Juste Avant la Nuit goes off in an entirely different direction. It uses it's opening crime not as a springboard to a suspenseful story but as a way of examining the human condition. The murder almost becomes irrelevant as we progress through the film and witness the central character become more and more depressed as a result of the love and understanding he is shown by the people who should ordinarily hate him for the ultimate betrayal he has shown them. Like other Chabrol films, this one depicts a melancholic and tragic villain. The audience are asked again to empathize with the criminal and try to understand his angst. It's morally complex and doesn't give out any answers at all. If you're looking for a traditional crime thriller this is not it. How much you enjoy this depends on how interesting you find it's central questions. I'm on the fence.

The second Claude Chabrol-Michel Bouquet-Stéphane Audran collaboration (after "La Femme Infidèle" - Bouquet and Audran have even kept the same character names, though this time he is the unfaithful one) is, in my opinion, an inferior film in comparison. Its main problem is its lack of narrative drive and dramatic conflict; it's full of suspense "teasers" (the police investigation, a witness, the first confession, the second confession) that never really amount to much (everyone except Bouquet treats an accidental (?) murder with almost complete apathy). Essentially, this film relies on just ONE main idea - a man's guilt that persists even when everyone else tells him to let go ("I cannot bear not to be judged") - to carry it for 102 minutes. There is the occasional great shot, a superb performance by Bouquet, Audran looking her best with red hair, and an enigmatic ending (did Bouquet know what Audran was about to do?), but it often feels as if Chabrol is stretching time. **1/2 out of 4.

An extraordinary film. Chabrol turns his keen eye and powers of observation to middle-class morality and psychological torment, never losing his rich sense of humor. The characters are complex and their motivations not always easy to discern. Chabrol views them caustically but also with compassion. It is part of a series of several terrific films he made between 1968 and 1973. Most fans of Chabrol consider this his pre-eminent period, and this film one of his very best.