Going Places (1974) Plot Summary Explained

Pierrot suggests sabotaging the car's steering because he fears his groin wound from being shot may have left him impotent. Hoping that if the car owner has an accident on a winding road, it will appear as though the owner was driving recklessly rather than revealing Pierrot was injured during the theft. This act also shows his desire to retaliate against the owner while reclaiming some sense of power after his injury.

Foreshadowing: This directly connects to later when Marie-Ange reveals the car owner has sold the sabotaged DS.

• pierrot
• impotence
• sabotage
• car accident
• revenge

Jeanne's suicide stems from despair after her release from prison. After being coaxed into joining them with money, experiencing what seemed like a pleasurable evening at the beach and hotel, she likely realized the emptiness of her situation and saw no way out. She took the gun while they slept and shot herself in the groin, a symbolic act of removing the source of her exploitation.

Foreshadowing: Earlier she reluctantly agreed to travel with them after multiple refusals, showing her initial reluctance and resistance.

• jeanne
• suicide
• prison
• despair
• death

After smelling her and determining she was a virgin, Jean-Claude and Pierrot drop her off by the roadside despite her pleading to join them. Their interest in Jacqueline appeared to be purely predatory and based on youth, but discovering her virginity apparently ended their desire. This reveals the twisted logic of their cruelty, they sought conquest rather than genuine attraction.

Foreshadowing: Earlier at the coastal resort, they enthusiastically smell her bathing suit and estimate her age, showing their initial obsession with her.

• jacqueline
• virgin
• abandonment
• youth

Marie-Ange remains with them despite kidnapping, forced sex, and violence. She appears to find some form of freedom or excitement in their chaotic lifestyle compared to her previous life as a hairdresser. She helps them break into her salon, participates in their crimes, and even seems to enjoy the sexual encounters more by the end, though her motivations remain ambiguous and largely passive throughout.

Foreshadowing: She initially goes along with them without forceful resistance, suggesting some underlying acceptance or resignation.

• marie-ange
• loyalty
• freedom
• escape

After failing to lure other young women, Jean-Claude suggests finding an inmate in a women's prison who is starved for sex, viewing her as vulnerable and desperate. They wait outside the prison and approach Jeanne upon her release, using money to lure her. This demonstrates their pattern of targeting marginalized, desperate women they perceive as easy targets.

Foreshadowing: Their previous attempts to seduce women had stalled, prompting this more predatory approach.

• jeanne
• prison
• vulnerability
• exploitation

After finding Jeanne's belongings, they learn she has a son named Jacques in jail. When Jacques is released weeks later, they lie to him that his mother asked them to help him in Portugal. They bring him to Marie-Ange and encourage him to have sex with her, showing their continued exploitation of vulnerable people. Jacques then leads them to rob a warden, ultimately killing him.

Foreshadowing: The film hints that Jacques may be aroused by Marie-Ange, suggesting a cycle of exploitation.

• jacques
• jeanne
• son
• exploitation
• murder

Pierrot is first wounded in the groin during the car owner confrontation, and this injury appears to cause both physical pain and psychological trauma regarding his masculinity. He explicitly fears he may be impotent and even suggests the sabotage plan partly as a coping mechanism. Interestingly, when they return to Marie-Ange and force sex with both men, Pierrot finally achieves an erection, suggesting the issue may have been psychological rather than purely physical.

Foreshadowing: His inability to get an erection is highlighted during the train incident with the breastfeeding woman.

• pierrot
• impotence
• injury
• psychological

When they break into the hair salon using Marie-Ange's help, she protests and screams rather than silently cooperating as before. In response, they shoot her in the leg and leave her bound to a chair. This demonstrates their escalation to extreme violence when she fails to comply, punishing her resistance with a brutal act that incapacitates her while ensuring her silence.

Foreshadowing: Earlier she remained passive during the mechanic's attempted assault, contrasting with her later resistance.

• marie-ange
• shooting
• hair salon
• violence

The film features repeated car thefts and exchanges, with the Citroën DS becoming a central motif. Each stolen car represents their mobility and ability to escape consequences, while the repeated exchanges show their transactional relationship with anyone who helps them. The DS specifically returns in the final scene when they force a family to trade their new DS for their old Traction Avant, creating ironic symmetry with the original theft.

Foreshadowing: The original DS theft sets the entire criminal journey in motion.

• citroën ds
• car theft
• mobility
• escape

Their final scene shows them continuing their destructive cycle even after multiple murders and being wanted for crimes. They attempt to abandon Marie-Ange to avoid guilt but she refuses. They continue stealing cars and hitchhiking, unable or unwilling to change their path. This reflects the film's bleak portrayal of characters trapped by their own nature, with no redemption or escape from their nihilistic existence.

Foreshadowing: The film establishes early on that they are aimless, committing crimes without purpose beyond immediate gratification.

• cycle
• crimes
• escape
• nihilism