The Truth

In Henri-Georges Clouzot’s courtroom drama nothing is clear-cut – least of all the central character, Dominique, a beautiful and troubled young woman cursed with an insatiable hunger for life and love. In one of the most powerful dramatic performances of her career (the role was originally written for Sophia Loren), Brigitte Bardot plays a young Frenchwoman accused of murdering her former lover. Structured through flashbacks and gripping courtroom scenes, La Vérité is a tragic story of possessive passion and the destructive longing for freedom. By confronting conservative morality with youthful desire and prudishness with modern femininity, Clouzot exposes the sexism and male-centred bias of the justice system of his time. It is no coincidence that the judge and prosecutor prefer to see Dominique as a vamp rather than as a complex human being. “Is it her fault that she is beautiful?” asks the defence lawyer, highlighting the self-reflexive dimension of Bardot’s role as the ultimate sex symbol of French cinema.

Daria Sienkiewicz

Henri-Georges Clouzot (1907–1977) – French director, screenwriter, and producer, one of the leading figures of European genre cinema. He was the first filmmaker in history to win the top prizes at the three major film festivals—Berlin, Cannes, and Venice—and remains one of only four directors to have achieved this distinction. His thrillers and crime films are marked by a dark vision of the world and a strong emphasis on psychological tension. Clouzot explored the darker sides of human nature, including obsession, jealousy, and moral weakness.