Crimes of the Future (1970) Spoiler-Free Summary – What It's About

Set in a dystopian near-future where civilization has been irrevocably altered, the film presents a world reeling from a mysterious plague tied to cosmetic products — a catastrophe that has seemingly eradicated all sexually mature women. The year is 1997, and society has become "defeminized," leaving men to navigate a radically transformed social landscape where gender roles and vulnerabilities are in constant flux. The epidemic, initially thought to target only women, carries whispers of mutation and expansion, suggesting that no one remains entirely safe.

At the center of this unsettling world stands Adrian Tripod, the director of a dermatological clinic known as the House of Skin. Tripod's existence is defined by absence — the disappearance of his mentor, the renowned dermatologist Antoine Rouge, who vanished in the wake of the epidemic. Driven by questions that blur the line between scientific curiosity and personal devotion, Tripod sets out on a quest to locate Rouge and understand the forces that have reshaped humanity. His journey promises to test his understanding of identity, loyalty, and the limits of medical ethics.

The atmosphere is one of clinical detachment and creeping dread, where medical institutions and cryptic organizations operate in a world stripped of its feminine presence. As Tripod moves through this landscape, he encounters a society grappling with desire, control, and the boundaries of human adaptation. The film's restrained, observational tone allows the strangeness of its world to speak for itself, inviting viewers to contemplate the costs of ambition and the fragile negotiations that define survival in an age of uncertainty.