Les Mois d’avril sont meurtriers (1987)

Les Mois d’avril sont meurtriers is a French thriller film first released in 1987, directed by Laurent Heynemann.  The film is based on a novel by Robin Cook and stars Jean-Pierre Marielle, Jean-Pierre Bisson, François Berléand, Guylène Péan and Brigitte Roüan.  It has also been released under the title: April Is A Deadly Month.  Our overall rating for this film is: good.


Fred is a police inspector charged with investigating the murder of an informer, whose dismembered remains were found in rubbish bags.  After the recent tragic death of his daughter, Fred allows his work to absorb him and he becomes obsessed with bringing his prime suspect to book...

This dark thriller is more than anything a study in the destructive power of guilt and solitude.  The two main characters, the police inspector, Fred, and Gravier, the suspect he constantly hassles, are trapped in their own introspective worlds, isolated and corrupted by their contempt for an outside world they have lost faith in.  This intense character study is the film’s focus throughout, and their interaction is played out with the subtlety and uncertainty of a chess game.

The film is distinguished by its slightly off-the-wall style, veering towards black comedy of the darkest kind in a few places.  Most of the film is shot in darkness or semi-darkness, something which contributes to the stifling atmosphere of the film and overwhelming sense of isolation.   Unfortunately, the repetitive and dawdling plot gives the impression that the film is treading water for a lot of the time.

Jean-Pierre Marielle is formidable in this, his first major screen role, a perfect anti-hero whose affection for his dead daughter has warped his sensibilities way beyond normality. Philippe Sarde’s haunting music provides the perfect finishing touch to this chilling study in solitude.

© James Travers 2001

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