Pierrot le Fou

After a mindless party in Paris, Ferdinand learns he has been fired from his TV job. He resolves to escape his bourgeois life and run away with his ex-girlfriend Marianne Renoir. The plan is to leave his wife and children behind and start anew on the run.

They follow Marianne into her apartment and discover a corpse, revealing that Marianne is being chased by OAS gangsters. The danger is immediate, forcing them to escape together. This moment marks the beginning of their impulsive alliance.

They flee Paris in the dead man's car, beginning a cross-country spree toward the Mediterranean. The escape intensifies their bond while throwing them into a life of risk and improvisation.

They burn the dead man's car, which Marianne later learns had been full of money. The act removes the immediate trace of their crime, though the loot remains a distant, dangerous lure. The blaze becomes a symbol of erasing their past as they continue fleeing.

Another vehicle is sunk into the Mediterranean as they escape the long arm of the law. The sea-bleeding escape cements their nomadic lifestyle and dependence on improvisation.

They settle on the French Riviera after the chase, trying to create stability. Ferdinand spends his days reading philosophy and writing a diary, which alienates Marianne as she longs for action and change. The veneer of normalcy clashes with their need for escape.

The couple spends a few days on a desert island, trying to detach from society and form their own rhythm. The isolation amplifies the contrast between Ferdinand’s contemplative nature and Marianne’s restlessness.

A dwarf gangster kidnaps Marianne, and she kills him with a pair of scissors. This act underscores her resourcefulness and willingness to take decisive action. Ferdinand remains present but is increasingly swept along by violence.

Ferdinand discovers the murder and is captured by two of the gangsters. They waterboard him to force him to reveal Marianne’s whereabouts, testing his resolve and signaling the couple’s precarious dependence on luck and secrecy.

Marianne escapes from captivity, and Ferdinand is left behind. Their paths diverge for a time as he settles in Toulon while she searches for him across France.

They are eventually reunited, and Marianne uses him to access a suitcase full of money. After securing the loot, she decides to run away with her real boyfriend, Fred, whom she had previously referred to as her brother.

Ferdinand shoots Marianne and Fred, then paints his face blue and ties sticks of dynamite to his head. He tries to extinguish the fuse but fails, and is blown up in a final, self-destructive explosion. The moment marks the collapse of their chaotic world.