Mademoiselle

Manou, a visiting Italian logger, arrives with his son Bruno and they sleep in a barn on the edge of the small French farming village. Their outsider status unsettles the tight-knit community from the start. The quiet opening seeds suspicion that will soon erupt into tragedy.

Manou's liaisons with local women spark jealousy among the men and provoke mistrust in the village. Rumors blame him for a spate of fires and a flood that devastate the area, even though he is not proven responsible. The atmosphere grows hostile as accusations spread.

In a flashback, Mademoiselle sets the first fire accidentally and delights in watching Manou perform heroic rescues. The moment reveals her obsession with him and her willingness to ignite chaos for attention. It explains her later connection to the disasters.

Back in the present, Mademoiselle is publicly regarded as a paragon of character, yet in her apartment she dons city footwear and sexier outfits to plot mayhem. She uses this private persona to orchestrate disturbances intended to draw Manou’s attention. The contrast underscores the danger she represents.

Bruno witnesses Mademoiselle’s sociopathic behavior in private and in the classroom, where she humiliates him. He begins to collect clues that point to her as the mastermind behind the catastrophes. Yet as a foreign outsider, he keeps silent, torn between knowledge and caution.

As livestock die from poisoning, fear and anger sweep through the village and suspicion falls on Manou. The community grows convinced that an outsider is wrecking their livelihood, pushing them toward punitive actions. The line between justice and vengeance becomes dangerously blurred.

Mademoiselle and Manou meet secretly in the forest, where their private tension erupts into a passionate encounter. They spend a night together, deepening their bond even as the village closes in around them. The secrecy raises the stakes for everyone involved.

Mademoiselle returns to the village with the air of someone who has been assaulted, prompting questions about what happened. When asked, she answers 'Yes' and retreats to her apartment. Her reply hardens the villagers’ suspicion of Manou and accelerates the crisis.

The men of the village confront Manou and hack him to death, carrying out vigilante justice. The killing comes as the truth remains murky, a consequence of fear and manipulated appearances. The tragedy shifts the balance of the town; the real culprit remains hidden.

Mademoiselle leaves the village with her crimes undisclosed, slipping away as the community turns away from the matter. Bruno watches her depart, spitting at her in a final act of defiance. The move ends the immediate upheaval, but the truth remains unspoken.

Bruno’s awareness lingers after the departure, and he refuses to forget what he has learned. He harbors the knowledge of Mademoiselle’s guilt while the adults pretend otherwise. The boy’s quiet defiance hints at the wounds left by the village’s choices.

The village bears scars from fires, a flood, and murder, with the true culprit never brought to light. Manou is dead; Mademoiselle has fled; Bruno remains haunted by what unfolded. The film closes on a somber note about how innocence can be entangled with deception and tragedy.