Il colore della menzogna

In the provincial St. Malo, in Brittany, the nurse Vivianne Sterne (Sandrine Bonnaire) and her crippled and sensitive husband René Sterne (Jacques Gamblin), who is a drawing teacher and former painter, live in an isolated shore side house. When his 10-year-old student Eloise is found raped and strangled in the woods nearby his house, the Parisian new chief of police Frédérique Lesage (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi) investigates the case and René becomes her prime suspect. Consequently his reputation and his life are destroyed and he loses his students. Meanwhile Vivianne is seduced by the arrogant and shallow writer and journalist Germain-Roland Desmot (Antoine de Caunes), who is a celebrity in Paris and is spending a vacation is his hometown, and is closer to him. Will Frédérique Lesage find the killer?

"Au coeur du mensonge", a.k.a. "The Color of Lies", is another subtle and witty suspense directed by Claude Chabrol, one of the best French directors ever. The story shows flawed characters; therefore it is realistic and credible, and a study of human behavior in a small town. The performances are top notch and the conclusion is open to interpretation, a trademark of Chabrol. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Cor da Mentira" ("The Colour of the Lie")