Rent The Devil, Probably (1977)

Judgement Day, Bresson-Style - The Devil, Probably review by griggs

Bresson’s The Devil, Probably is as sharp and unsparing as the title suggests. It follows a disillusioned Parisian youth drifting between political activism, spiritual enquiry, and outright nihilism, yet never settling on anything beyond a conviction that the world is doomed. This isn’t an entry point into Bresson — the film’s austerity and moral bite demand familiarity with his style — but it might be one of his most corrosive works.

The images that punctuate the narrative — seals clubbed on ice, pesticide spraying, toxic dumping, choking skies — aren’t gentle prompts to care about the planet. They feel more like an idictment, daring us to squirm, much as A Clockwork Orange forces Alex to endure his reconditioning. The effect is chilling, not sentimental.

Performances are delivered with Bresson’s trademark restraint, making the despair almost clinical. It’s a film that withholds cartharsis, replacing it with a cold, steady gaze at our own apathy — and the quiet acceptance of a world circling the drain.