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Film / Confidentially Yours

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Confidentially Yours (French title: Vivement Dimanche!, which translates into "Sunday at Last!") is a 1983 French comedy/mystery film directed by François Truffaut (it would be his last film). It stars Fanny Ardant and Jean-Louis Trintignant.

Julien Vercel (Trintignant) is an estate agent who becomes suspected of murdering Claude Massolier due to the fact that both of them were hunting at the same time and place. Evidence against Vercel keeps piling up as it turns out Massoulier was having an affair with his wife and she's later found dead. But Barbara Becker (Ardant), Vercel's recently fired secretary, is willing to help him prove he didn't do it, despite not being totally convinced of his innocence, so she conducts her own investigation while Vercel hides from the police in his agency.


Tropes:

  • Amateur Sleuth: Barbara works as a secretary and amateur actress, with no credentials as a detective. She proves to be very competent at it, though.
  • Clear Their Name: Even though he fired her, Barbara does most of the work of proving Vercel's innocence and goes about it in a very earnest manner.
  • A Deadly Affair: One of the reasons Vercel is suspected of murdering Massoulier is because the latter was having an affair with his wife, and she's later found murdered, which worsens Vercel's case.
  • Deliberately Monochrome: Made in 1983, the film is purposefully in black and white to capture the aesthetic of old noir movies that Truffaut was so fond of.
  • Dirty Harriet: At one point Barbara passes herself off as a prostitute so she can investigate the seedy nightclub Red Angel without looking conspicuous. She's quickly figured out though, because she guessed the nightclub's owner/pimp's gender wrong.
  • Fake-Out Make-Out: When Vercel decides to accompany Barbara during one of her investigations even though it's risky for him, some police cars pass by and Barbara kisses Vercel so as to hide him from their sight.
  • Leg Focus: Due to hiding out in a place that's below ground level, Vercel takes to watching passing women's legs through a window to pass the time. Barbara notices this and deliberately passes by the window twice for his benefit.

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