Querelle

Querelle arrives in Brest aboard Le Vengeur and seeks out La Feria, a bar and brothel run by Lysiane. The place introduces his connections to Lysiane, her lover Robert, and the network of sailors and crime that will shape his stay. The scene establishes the film's blend of sex, violence, and corruption in the port town.

Querelle and his brother Robert meet at La Feria, sharing an embrace that is quickly undercut by a slow, painful belly punch. The moment reveals their strange love-hate bond and the way kinship is entangled with the bar's brutal world. The confrontation foreshadows ongoing tension between them.

Querelle negotiates a deal to sell opium to Nono, Lysiane's husband and the bar's operator of illicit affairs. The arrangement tightens Querelle's ties to La Feria's criminal lattice and foreshadows the violence to come. The deal sets the stage for further transactions and power plays.

During the drug exchange, Querelle murders his accomplice Vic by slitting his throat, eliminating a rival and securing the shipment. The brutal act marks Querelle's readiness to kill for control and loyalty in La Feria's world. The murder intensifies the bar's already volatile atmosphere.

After delivering the drugs, Querelle declares his desire to sleep with Lysiane. He learns of Nono's dice-game privilege, a ritual that decides whether a suitor may proceed or must submit to Nono, according to his maxim. The game becomes a cruel gatekeeper of sex and power at La Feria.

To win access to Lysiane, Querelle deliberately loses the dice game and accepts Nono's sexual domination. The choice underscores the bar's perverse power dynamics and his willingness to debase himself for desire or status. The moment also foreshadows the conflict it will provoke with Robert.

Nono gloats to Robert about Querelle's so-called loss, triggering a violent confrontation between the two brothers. The fight exposes the fragility of their bond and the consequences of the bar's merciless rules. It marks a turning point in Querelle's relationships within La Feria.

After the altercation, Querelle has sex with Mario, adding another layer to his entanglement with La Feria's sexual economy. The encounter further cements his reputation among the sailors and adds to the film's mosaic of desire and power. The episode expands Querelle's web of loyalties and betrayals.

Back on Le Vengeur, builder Gil murders his workmate Theo, who had been harassing and sexually assaulting him. The killing intensifies the ship's tension and adds another layer to the theme of vulnerable men under pressure. Gil's act triggers a sequence leading to his attempt to escape with Querelle's involvement.

Gil hides from the police in an abandoned prison, and Roger—who loves Gil—facilitates a link between Gil and Querelle in the hope that Querelle can help Gil escape. The plan binds Querelle to Gil and to the broader escape plot that runs through the story. The setting emphasizes confinement and the possibility of escape.

Querelle develops genuine feelings for Gil, who bears a striking resemblance to his brother. Gil returns the affection, deepening the tragedy of their relationship. Their bond becomes a catalyst for the ensuing betrayals and moral compromises.

Querelle sabotages Gil's chances of escape by tipping off the police and arranging that Vic's murder will be blamed on Gil. The betrayal cements Querelle's ruthlessness and aligns him with the ship's corrupt power structure. Gil's fate becomes tied to Querelle's self-preserving schemes.

Lieutenant Seblon is secretly in love with Querelle and constantly tries to prove his manliness in response to that fixation. He knows Querelle murdered Vic but chooses to protect him, maintaining a precarious balance of justice and desire aboard Le Vengeur. The character adds a layer of tension between duty and desire.

The film ends with Lysiane performing a tarot reading for Robert that reveals he and Querelle were never brothers. Her maniacal laughter accompanies the moment of revelation as Querelle's birth record is transcribed on-screen. The closing sequence reframes the earlier relationships and leaves questions about identity and lineage.