Crime, Drama  •  1983  •  85 min

L'Argent (1983)

L'Argent poster

L'Argent (1983)


Rating & Dimensions

Bias Rating
Analyzing...
Leans Progressive
Political: Strong Left
Diversity: Low
Family Values: Mixed
Christianity: Positive

Viewer Rating
8.4

Overview

L'Argent is a 1983 French drama film directed by Robert Bresson, exploring the ripple effects of a forged 500-franc bill as it disrupts lives and exposes societal fragility. The film leans progressive due to its clear critique of capitalist structures and their dehumanizing impact. It highlights the systemic injustices that lead to personal and familial ruin, while portraying family bonds as tenuous yet not overtly partisan. The lack of overt ideological nudging from elements like religion or diversity framing keeps the focus on the socio-moral decay.


Starring Cast

Christian Patey  •   Sylvie Van den Elsen  •   Michel Briguet


Where to watch

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Detailed Bias Analysis

Analyzing...
Leans Progressive

Primary

Political: Strong Left
Confidence: High

The film's central thesis is a stark and explicit critique of the dehumanizing and destructive power of money and the systemic injustices inherent in a capitalist society, leading to the moral corruption and ruin of individuals.

Diversity: Low
Confidence: High

The movie employs traditional casting without evident intentional race or gender swaps for diversity purposes. Its narrative explores themes of crime, morality, and societal corruption, but does not explicitly critique traditional identities or center DEI themes within its storytelling.

Secondary

Family Values: Mixed
Confidence: Medium

The film portrays the disintegration of family units and the profound suffering caused by the loss of family bonds, particularly Yvon's separation from his daughter. It depicts family structures (nuclear, extended) as fragile and vulnerable to external pressures, without endorsing or critiquing specific family norms.

Christianity: Positive
Confidence: High

The film is deeply imbued with a Christian, particularly Jansenist, worldview, exploring themes of sin, grace, predestination, and suffering through the protagonist's tragic descent. While not overtly religious in its plot, its narrative structure and thematic concerns engage profoundly with the spiritual dimension of human existence, treating these concepts with serious philosophical and theological weight.

LGBTQ: N/A
Confidence: High

The film L'Argent does not feature any identifiable LGBTQ+ characters or themes. Its narrative focuses on the protagonist's descent into crime and the consequences of a counterfeit bill, exploring themes of fate, justice, and human nature without incorporating queer identities or experiences.

Trans: N/A
Confidence: High

L'Argent does not feature any identifiable transsexual characters or themes. The film's austere narrative centers on the protagonist Yvon's tragic journey through the justice system and subsequent crimes, driven by the corrupting influence of money and fate. Its focus remains strictly on these elements, with no portrayal of transgender identity or experiences.

Female Combat: N/R

The movie does not contain any action or adventure elements.

Gender Swap: No
Confidence: High

The film is a loose adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's novella "The Forged Coupon." While it draws inspiration from the source material's premise, its specific named characters are original to the film or heavily reinterpreted, rather than direct gender-swapped versions of established characters from the novella.

Race Swap: No
Confidence: High

The film is an adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's novella "The Forged Coupon." While the setting and nationality of characters shift from Russian to French, the characters in both the source material and the film are consistently portrayed as white. No character established as one race in the source is depicted as a different race in the film.

Hinduism: N/A
Confidence: High

Not depicted in the film.


Viewer Rating Breakdown

8.4

Viewer Rating

Combines user and critic ratings from four sources

User Ratings

IMDB logo
7.4
The Movie Database logo
6.9

Critic Ratings

Rotten Tomatoes logo
9.7
Metacritic logo
9.5

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