In the village of Tremolat, Périgord, the lonely headmistress Helene Daville (Stéphane Audran) befriends the local butcher Paul Thomas (Jean Yanne),who has a trauma of war, in the wedding party of her colleague Leon Hamel (Mario Beccara). In spite of their friendship, they do not become lovers since Helene is still recovering from the disillusion of her last relationship. In Paul's birthday, Helene gives a lighter to him as a gift. During the excursion with her class to a cave in the woods, Helene finds the last victim of a serial killer that is stabbing young women in the area. She realizes that the woman is Leon's wife and she finds Paul's lighter in the crime scene but she hides the evidence from the police. When Paul visits her, she discovers that he still has the lighter and she feels relieved. However, when Paul paints the ceiling of her house, she makes a discovery that affects her sense of security.

The unknown gem "Le Boucher" is a dark, intriguing and suspenseful love story by Claude Chabrol. The plot is completely unusual and very simple, it is not tagged by an specific genre and can be resumed in the storyline; however, the screenplay, direction, performances and camera work make the difference. The opening scene shows a beautiful area in the countryside of France where the plot takes place. Helene is a fascinating character with her contradictory and ambiguous behavior and relationship with Popaul. Their chemistry is also perfect. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Açougueiro" ("The Butcher")

Note: On 06 February 2011 I saw this film again on DVD.

This is a good movie and I would recommend it to anyone, just not whole-heartedly. You see, it was far from great as there were a few plot problems that got in the way of my complete enjoyment. First, it was very hard to believe that when the school teacher found evidence of who the serial killer was, she would keep this to herself--even if she did like the person a lot. Secondly, the film only had one or two plot twists and there really were no other potential people portrayed in the movie who could have been the murderer, so the identity of the actual criminal wasn't in much doubt--even when a little plot twist was added to make you possibly doubt it was really him. No, to be an exceptional suspense film, there must be more dead-ends and twists--this movie just didn't offer surprises. What I DID like about the film was the romance. I would have MUCH preferred to see this played out instead of the whole serial killer angle.

I have to admit stumbling through this, ready to say I was bored by the characters. There is such a coldness in both of them. But then I began to see the brilliant cinematography and the tension building though nothing much happens. Cigarettes and cigarette lighters are prominent here. Even the police detective rolls his own. When a body is found brutally stabbed near a cave the kids are visiting on a field trip, Helen's cold being is cracked. Her disappointment and fear come forward as her face reveals. She is a sad character. Supposedly she is beloved by her students, but I found her teaching to be sterile and dull. She is teaching young children and yet her subject matter would fit well in a college class. Nevertheless, the second half is a logical and dynamic conclusion to the slow setup in the first half.