The Breach (film)


The Breach is a 1970 film written and directed by Claude Chabrol, based on the novel The Balloon Man by Charlotte Armstrong. The film was also known as The Breakup at times in its release in the United States. The film had a total of 927,678 admissions in France.

Plot

Hélène Régnier's mentally ill husband Charles injures their son, Michel, in a violent rage. Hélène beats Charles to the floor with a frying pan, flees and starts divorce proceedings. Charles moves back in with his wealthy and manipulative parents, who never approved of his marriage and are determined to secure custody of Michel. While the boy is recovering in a local hospital, Hélène moves to a boarding house nearby. The Régniers hire Paul Thomas, an impoverished family acquaintance, to find damaging material on Hélène to help them secure custody. Paul moves into the boarding house and, with the help of his girlfriend Sonia, plots to ruin Hélène's reputation.

Principal cast

Critical reception

of The New York Times:
Dave Kerr of The Chicago Reader: