Ladies of the Park

Helen fears that Jean’s love for her is fading, so she tests him by pretending she no longer loves him. Jean then admits he no longer has feelings for her, and they part as friends. But when Helen’s vindictive side emerges, she weaves a web of schemes to ensnare her former lover. Based on an episode by Diderot, with dialogue by Jean Cocteau, Robert Bresson’s second full-length film is considered his most “classic,” though traces of the austerity and precision that would define his later work are already present.