Look for a Woman (1982) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The movie is set in Paris, France, primarily in and around a notary's office. The Parisian setting emphasizes social propriety and provides an urban backdrop where the murder investigation unfolds among the city's professional class.

• paris
• notary office
• france
• setting
• location

The movie is set in 1982, reflecting a contemporary French setting. While no specific era is emphasized, the film captures the social dynamics of Parisian professional life during that period.

• 1982
• time period
• paris
• contemporary

Alice Postic is a telephonist at the notary's office who becomes the catalyst for the investigation after discovering her boss dead. She is portrayed as curious, persistent, and willing to challenge authority, ultimately driving the unraveling of the mystery despite initial ridicule from colleagues.

• alice postic
• telephonist
• investigator
• main character

Maître Rochet is the notary whose murder sets the investigation in motion. His relationships with those around him weave into the mystery, and his apparent return after death adds a surreal, theatrical layer to the case.

• maitre rochet
• notary
• murder victim

Henri Granden is the police inspector who arrives to lead the murder investigation. He has a complicated past with Alice, having once loved her, and his authority clashes with the social dynamics of the notary office as he pursues the case.

• henri granden
• inspector
• police
• investigation

Clara Rochet is the wife of Maître Rochet. Suspicion surrounds her throughout the investigation due to her relationship with the deceased, and she becomes a central figure in the web of motives and alibis that drives the film's intrigue.

• clara rochet
• notary's wife
• suspicion

Jullien Nalestro is a young man whose death in a park ties together the night's events. He is identified as the lover of the notary's wife, making him a central piece in the web of motives surrounding the murder investigation.

• jullien nalestro
• lover
• secondary character

The central mystery involves a murder, a disappeared corpse, and a tangle of alibis. Alice becomes an amateur investigator who pieces together clues that others overlook, with the plot building suspense through misdirection, red herrings, and a clever trap that reveals the killer.

• mystery
• murder
• investigation
• clues
• corpse

The narrative weaves past romance into the investigation, as the inspector once loved Alice and now resists their rekindled relationship. Jealousy and passion complicate loyalties, blurring lines between duty and desire and fueling the story's twists.

• love
• jealousy
• romance
• inspector alice
• relationship

Appearances consistently mislead throughout the film. Objects in the office point toward hidden motives, and the murder investigation is staged against social performances in the office and society. The plot turns on cleverly staged evidence that unsettles viewer assumptions about truth and fabrication.

• deception
• appearances
• staged evidence
• truth
• mask

The film blends genres, combining mystery with comedic elements. While the murder investigation creates tense moments, the overall tone remains lighter due to the comedic influences, absurd resolution involving the notary returning from the opera, and playful banter between characters.

• comedy
• mystery
• blend
• genre
• tonal shift

The ending is happy, with the crime solved correctly by the protagonist Alice. Her persistence is vindicated after initial ridicule from colleagues, and the mystery-comedy resolution concludes without lasting tragedy, though a hint of disavowed romance remains as a bittersweet element.

• ending
• happy
• solved
• crime
• vindication