In the aftermath of a young woman’s bloody murder in Paris—her identity shrouded in mystery—detective Jules Maigret begins to unravel the strange details surrounding her life and death. In this elegant adaptation of Georges Simenon’s Maigret et la Jeune Morte, Gérard Depardieu inhabits the broad, world-weary frame of the eponymous detective, pairing his natural charisma with a melancholic edge that perfectly captures Maigret’s character. With a brooding, compassionate air, Maigret follows a trail of clues and forgotten details of the unassuming, anonymous victim, searching for her identity and humanity with a compassionate grace, in sharp contrast to the seeming indifference of those around him. Writer/director Patrice Leconte situates the tale in a 1953 Paris still recovering from WWII, contrasting a dark, sombre atmosphere of everyday people in the city with the sparkling opulence of glamorous socialites and aristocrats, crafting a thoughtful—yet thrilling—spin on the classic detective story.
Supported by
Patrice Leconte
Gérard Depardieu, Jade Labeste, Mélanie Bernier, Aurore Clément, André Wilms, Hervé Pierre
France/Belgium
2022
In French with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Short Forum 1: The Scarier One
The return of scary: fear in all its chilling, suspenseful, and unsettling shades.
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York
A career thief’s circumstances grow desperate when he fences valuable merchandise stolen from a vengeful crime family. John Turturro is exquisite as a wiseacre who is typically one step ahead of everyone but now finds himself behind the eight ball.
Gabin
Filmed over 10 years, Gabin follows Gabin Jourdel from age 8 to 18 and the animals, schoolwork, chores, and imagined futures that define his youth. As he grows, his adolescence becomes a question of inheritance and choosing one’s own future.
Iron Boy
Iron Boy, a hand-painted animated feature, follows a hardworking preteen farm boy and his sublime flights of fancy as he faces the earthshaking upheavals of growing up in an iron back brace. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at Cannes 2026.
Image: © Eddy Cinema, Beside Productions, Regular Production, France 3 Cinema, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, RTBF
Credits
Producer
Jean-Louis Livi
Screenwriter
Jérôme Tonnerre, Patrice Leconte
Cinematography
Yves Angelo
Editor
Joëlle Hache
Production Design
Loïc Chavanon
Original Music
Bruno Coulais
