Forming a trio of new wave masters with Jean-Luc Goddard and Francois Truffaut, Claude Chabrol has created an oeuvre of sophisticated meditations on the French bourgeoisie, which continue to...

Forming a trio of new wave masters with Jean-Luc Goddard and Francois Truffaut, Claude Chabrol has created an oeuvre of sophisticated meditations on the French bourgeoisie, which continue to present compelling portraits concerning the ambiguity of human nature. THE COLOR OF LIES stars Jacques Gamblin as Rene, a painter living with his wife, Viviane (Sandrine Bonnaire, THE DEATH INSTINCT) in a small Breton town; he supplements his income by giving art lessons to children. When one of his students is raped and murdered, Rene finds himself implicated, as he was the last person to have seen the girl alive. In typical small-town fashion, Rene is soon ostracized by the entire community, though his wife remains resolutely loyal. Despite her best intentions, however, Viviane finds herself tempted to indulge in an escapist affair with a media celebrity on vacation (Antoine de Caunes). Chabrol's contemplative pacing achieves a haunting melancholy that suggests a discrepancy between a characters actions and true motivations, creating a quiet thriller of unsettling depth that keeps the audience guessing throughout.