Les Biches (1968)

Claude Chabrol’s Les Biches (1968) is a stylish psychological drama that helped cement his reputation as the “French Hitchcock.” The film follows a love triangle between a wealthy woman, her female companion, and an architect, unfolding with themes of desire, jealousy, and possession. Shot with cool precision and elegant bourgeois settings, it masks its dark undercurrents with surface sophistication—a hallmark of Chabrol’s critique of the French elite. Notable for its frank portrayal of bisexual relationships (unusual for its time), the film blends erotic tension with creeping menace, showing Chabrol’s shift from New Wave experimentation to the suspenseful, morally probing style that defined his later career.