Monsieur Joseph

This is a typical Simenon grey tragedy of humdrum life, pinpointing weaknesses of humanity. Monsieur Joseph is an Algerian who for forty years has been working hard to establish a small specialised bookshop in a small town in northern France, when a young girl who helps him in the shop inspires him with the idea of a marriage, better late than never. He is double her age and does not foresee the dangers of such a marriage, a very young wife of a middle-aged man is wont to look for younger men and to have escapades. When she does he does not mind but is tolerant and keeps his good faith in human nature. That is his mistake. When she disappears without a trace leaving nothing behind and no communication, people around him start to talk, and as there has been a recent unsettled murder case with a drowned young woman in the town canal, he becomes the subject of gossip and prejudiced suspicion, since he is Algerian. And so the merciless tide rolls on.

Daniel Prévost makes an excellent and unforgettable performance as the culprit of nothing, and there is actually no sadness in his role, just a typical Simenonesque casual hopelessness and resignation to the logic consequences of inevitability. At least he finally learns that his wife is still alive and that she only has betrayed him - he should have suspected such a consequence from the character of her family with a brother who is a spoilt outrage. Well, most things are learned too late.

The atmosphere is very much alike to the moods of "The Man who Saw the Trains Pass By" which is a similar story with similar outcome, a bottomless tragedy without sadness but with all the hopelessness naked in its inevitability.