Catherine Dousteyssier-Khoze Book order

Claude Chabrol's cinema is generally associated with a specific type of psychological thriller, one set in the French provinces and fascinated with murder, incest, fragmented families, unstable spaces and inscrutable female characters. But Chabrol's films are both deceptively accessible and deeply reflexive, and in this innovative reappraisal of his filmography Catherine Dousteyssier-Khoze explores the Chabrol who was influenced by Balzac, Magritte and Stanley Kubrick. Bringing to the fore Chabrol’s ‘aesthetic of opacity’, the book deconstructs the apparent clarity and comfort of his chosen genre, encouraging the viewer to reflect on the relationship between illusion and reality, and the status of the film image itself.

Nikonor, an eccentric mycomaniac and scholarly snob, returns to the Château de la Charlanne, where he spent his childhood with his twin sister, Anastasie. As he reminisces about his past, he aims to clarify his memories while sharing his unique insights on literature, cheeses, and particularly mushrooms. The story unfolds in the backdrop of an isolated, derelict castle in the French countryside, blending nostalgia with Nikonor's quirky perspectives.