The Flower of Evil

R

Released Oct 10, 2003

1h 45m

Drama

List

65%

63 Reviews

Tomatometer

49%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In her 50s, French mother Anne Charpin-Vasseur (Nathalie Baye) makes a most uncommon choice: she decides to run for mayor of the town she lives in. Among the obstacles she faces are an unfaithful husband (Bernard Le Coq), mysterious leaflets that accuse her family of having collaborated with the Nazis during World War II, and a blossoming love affair between her returning son (Benoît Magimel) and his stepsister (Mélanie Doutey) that is cheered on by Aunt Line (Suzanne Flon).

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Three generations of a wealthy family are torn apart when Anne (Nathalie Baye), the second wife of drink philanderer Gérard (Bernard Le Coq), runs for mayor. That unleashes a political pamphlet that brings back so many old scandals, including war profiteering, corruption, Nazi collaboration, cheating, incest and generally not being very great people. At the same time, François (Benoît Magimel), Gérard's son from his first marriage, has returned from America and is soon leaving for a romantic weekend with his stepsister and cousin Michèle (Mélanie Doutey), who comes from Anne's first marriage, not that that will look good to the public. Yet Aunt Line (Suzanne Flon) encourages this forbidden romance. Well, maybe not forbidden, because it seems like this family has been interbreeding since they were a family. So maybe that pamphlet is on to something. Ah, that pamphlet. So many Gérard wrote it, which is up for conjecture, but he definitely tries to assault Michèle on the night that her mother secures the election. As he attempts to take her, he falls and dies, just as the victory party arrives. Claude Chabrol was into his fiftieth film when this was made and he filmed what he was most interested in: the French rich, their scandals and a crime. It just so happens that one crime takes place in the past and another in the present, with both involving the same players. Sometimes, you can play the same song over and over and if you're good at it, we notice that the notes are slightly different and are still engaged by them.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

Simon T

Superbly acted late-Chabrol family drama, the plot of which unfurls gradually like a rose. As so often in his best works nothing is overstated, and only very slowly do we appreciate how manners, decorum and deception mask the truth. I don't know why reviews are so mediocre for what I would champion - alongside La Ceremonie - as one of Chabrol's very best works. Only the occasional melodramatic flashback tarnishes another claustrophobic gem.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/29/24

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Audience Member

S?abiutki film Chabrola. Nawet Benoit Magimel nie pomaga.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

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Audience Member

A good Chabrol film filled with dark characters some intense family secrets and as always incredibly cool dialogues. It's a pure Chabrol movie.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

Audience Member

loved it, family secrets, illicit affairs... hugely enjoyable

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

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Audience Member

A decent suspenseful film that reminded me of the V.C. Andrews books with all the buried sinister family secrets. Some families just cannot escape evil, especially when it comes from within!

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

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Claude Chabrol

Director

Nathalie Baye

Anne

Benoît Magimel

Francois

Suzanne Flon

Aunt Line

Mélanie Doutey

Actor

Thomas Chabrol

Matthieu

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Budd Wilkins

Slant Magazine

Like Nightcap, The Flower of Evil is concerned with an “original sin” and the seeming inevitability of its repetition.

May 5, 2022

Full Review

Empire Magazine

Rated: 4/5

Jul 3, 2004

Full Review

Jamie Russell

BBC.com

Rated: 3/5

Jun 22, 2004

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Honestly, it’s a bit better than it sounds.

Rated: 2.5/4

May 16, 2022

Full Review

Tom Dawson

The List

Shows little concern with thriller conventions or with interior psychology, as Chabrol is content to simply push his characters around like pieces on a chess board.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 18, 2019

Full Review

Rich Cline

Shadows on the Wall

There's a solid message here about wealth and hypocrisy, but it's watered down by the opaque storytelling.

Rated: 2.5/5

Jul 11, 2004

Full Review

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Synopsis

In her 50s, French mother Anne Charpin-Vasseur (Nathalie Baye) makes a most uncommon choice: she decides to run for mayor of the town she lives in. Among the obstacles she faces are an unfaithful husband (Bernard Le Coq), mysterious leaflets that accuse her family of having collaborated with the Nazis during World War II, and a blossoming love affair between her returning son (Benoît Magimel) and his stepsister (Mélanie Doutey) that is cheered on by Aunt Line (Suzanne Flon).

Director: Claude Chabrol
Screenwriter: Claude Chabrol, Caroline Eliacheff
Distributor: Palm Pictures
Production Co: France 3 Cinéma, MK2 SA, Canal Plus Image International
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: French (Canada)
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 10, 2003, Original
Release Date (DVD): Oct 19, 2004
Box Office (Gross USA): $181.8K
Runtime: 1h 45m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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