Jacques Rivette • France • 1971

Two theater troupes rehearse avant-garde versions of Aeschylus plays climaxing in a hypnotic warm-up exercise that unfolds like a clothed orgy. We meet Colin, a deadpan, deaf-mute busker, and Frédérique, a wayward young con artist.

Jacques Rivette • France • 1971

The outlines of a conspiracy begin to emerge as the mute busker begins receiving cryptic letters with references to Balzac and Lewis Carroll’s The Hunting of the Snark. Meanwhile, theater rehearsals take an unsettling turn.

Jacques Rivette • France • 1971

The mystery of the enigmatic notes deepens as the busker learns about their connection to Balzac’s History of the Thirteen. Elsewhere, tensions flare up at rehearsals.

Jacques Rivette • France • 1971

The various strands of the story begin to intersect. The busker continues on his quest to uncover the source of the cryptic letters, while Frédérique is also inadvertently drawn into the conspiracy. Games — cops and robbers, chess, and cons — abound.

Jacques Rivette • France • 1971

Frédérique finds that blackmail doesn’t pay as she crosses paths with the busker who is now in love with Pauline — or is it Emilie? Meanwhile, a wild goose chase through Paris ensues when one of the productions is fleeced out of money.

Jacques Rivette • France • 1971

Maps, symbols, codes, card games, and double meanings: the intrigue starts to accelerate.

Jacques Rivette • France • 1971

Cracks in the conspiracy begin to appear and things really start to get trippy.

Jacques Rivette • France • 1971

And then the narrative implodes...