Barocco (1976)

A young woman (Isabelle Adjani) convinces her ex-prizefighter boyfriend (Gerard Depardieu) to accept a bribe to tell a lie that discredits a local politician. When the boyfriend is murdered, she is racked with guilt until she meets the killer (Gerard Depardieu), a dead ringer for the murdered man. Directed by Andre Techine (MY FAVORITE SEASON) in only his third film. A big hit in France, it was nominated for 9 Cesar awards (the French equivalent of the Oscar). I found the film's noir-ish plot unnecessarily convoluted and didn't buy Adjani's attraction to her boyfriend's murderer. Why both the murderer and the murder victim are played by the same actor is never explained though there's an unsubstantiated suggestion that they're brothers. My favorite character and the best performance in the movie comes from Marie France Pisier as a wife and mother who supports her family as a prostitute. Pisier won the Cesar best supporting actress award for her work here. There's also a strong score by Philippe Sarde. With Claude Brasseur, Jean Claude Brialy and Helene Surgere.