Quand tu liras cette lettre...

Novitiate Juliette Gréco is summoned from the nunnery when her parents are killed in a car crash. If she does not return to the stationery store and run it, her sister, Irene Galter will go to the grandparents' farm and the store will be sold. So she bows her head and accepts this as the will of G*d, or at least the scenarist. At the same time, Philippe Lemaire, mechanic, boxer, seducer of anything with hair longer than his, and budding socioopath, begins carrying on an affair with rich Yvonne Sanson, looking forward to enjoying her employment back in Brussels. He kills her by accident, trying to slaughter his accomplice, but the judge can't talk himself into having him arrested. No need! Here comes Miss Gréco, telling him that since he raped Miss Galter, who tried to commit suicide but failed, he is going to propose to her in front of their grandparents, and if ever she even suspects he doesn't love her, here's the gun to prove her sister does. And of course, he confesses he's actually in love with Miss Gréco, and insists she's in love with him, because reasons.

Got that? I was at the end of the movie and still didn't know who felt what about whom. Director Jean-Pierre Melville has Miss Gréco as frozen-faced as someone who's just had a botox injection. It's beautifully shot on the Riviera, and Miss Sanson drives an enormous Cadillac one-seat convertible, courtesy of what we are told is a psychopathic husband. Could Melville, working from some one else's script for whatever reason he had (money?) just hate everyone because he's too cool for all this?

Maybe. But then, someone would have to act sincere.