Barocco (1976) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Laure sees the money as their ticket to a better life elsewhere. Both she and Samson are stuck in difficult circumstances, Samson is a washed-up boxer in a port city, and Laure lives in the red-light district. The large payout represents escape from their precarious situation, so despite Samson's hesitation, Laure encourages him to take it.

Foreshadowing: Earlier, Laure is described as aimless, suggesting she is seeking a way out of her current life.

• Laure Samson bribe money escape future

After confronting the killer who murdered her boyfriend, Laure is struck by his emotional response to her resolve, he is moved by her courage. This connection, combined with his physical resemblance to Samson, creates a twisted foundation for their relationship. Laure then insists he reinvent himself in Samson’s image before she will love him, essentially trying to recreate what she lost.

Foreshadowing: The killer is described as bearing a striking resemblance to Samson, making the psychological manipulation more plausible.

• Laure killer love relationship identity Samson resemblance

The killer is a brunette who naturally bears a strong resemblance to Samson. After Laure confronts him and decides to pursue a relationship, she actively works to transform him further into Samson’s image, reshaping him to look more like the man he murdered so she can love him.

Foreshadowing: The killer's resemblance is noted immediately after the murder, with Laure herself recognizing it.

• killer Samson resemblance appearance transformation Laure

The political rivals orchestrating the smear campaign decide it is simpler and less risky to pay Laure and Samson to disappear rather than actually expose the alleged homosexual relationship. Running the scandal could backfire politically, so removing them from the picture entirely becomes the preferred solution.

• counter-offer disappear bribe campaign politicians scandal

Laure hides the money in station lockers, and the couple plans to split up to avoid detection. While Laure waits at a diner and falls asleep, two hired assassins pursue Samson. The next morning, the killer confronts Laure demanding the money, and when Samson arrives on the snowy street outside, he is immediately shot dead by the assassin.

• train station Samson killed assassins money lockers

On election night, as Laure and the killer escape aboard a liner, the gangsters attempt to eliminate the killer but mistakenly shoot Walt, the newspaper editor who had been investigating the murder. The political chaos and darkness contribute to the mistaken identity, leaving the killer to escape while an innocent man lies wounded.

Foreshadowing: Walt had been actively pursuing the case and contacting gang members, making him a target in the confusion.

• Walt shot mistake gangsters election night escape liner

Laure uses the killer’s desire for her as leverage, forcing him to transform himself into a copy of the man he murdered. This act represents her attempt to reclaim what she lost, perhaps to psychologically replace Samson, or to exert control over the situation. By making him earn her love through this transformation, she also creates a strange power dynamic in their relationship.

• Laure killer Samson transformation identity love requirement

Nelly is Laure’s roommate who works as a prostitute in the red-light district’s show-window business. She is protective of Laure and initially tries to persuade her to stay when Laure considers leaving. After discovering the money in Laure’s bag, she reluctantly lets Laure go but insists her husband Jules escort her to the station. Later, Nelly briefly shelters the killer from his pursuers.

• Nelly prostitute show-window friend Laure roommate Jules

Before departing, Laure purchases train tickets and secretly hides the money in the station’s lockers. This is her attempt to secure the payout so they can retrieve it later and use it for their escape. However, the plan goes awry when the killer discovers her location and confronts her before they can retrieve the money together.

• money lockers station hiding Laure tickets escape plan

The smear campaign attempts to bribe Samson into confessing to a fabricated homosexual relationship with a political candidate running in an upcoming election. Political rivals of the candidate orchestrate this false scandal, hiring gang members to carry out the scheme. The entire setup is designed to damage the candidate’s reputation before the election.

• political scandal smear campaign candidate election homosexuality bribe

They time their escape with election night because the chaos and celebrations provide cover for their departure. With everyone focused on the election results and the city in upheaval, the gangsters and police are distracted, allowing Laure and the killer to slip away aboard a liner unnoticed with the money.

• election night escape liner money chaos distraction