Torment

Paul is a exhausted corporate type who struggles to keep his life afloat; his mind starts whispering doubts about his past choices. He suspects his wife Nelly has been unfaithful, and the fear makes him see every male guest as a possible threat. As pressure mounts at work and at home, his grip on reality frays. The story follows his gradual slide into jealousy and paranoia, a private hell that begins to redefine his relationships and sense of self. His inward turmoil becomes as dangerous as any external threat. The narrative keeps a careful distance from melodrama, letting the psychological climate carry the tension. The ambiguity of trust and motive keeps the audience on edge long after the last scene lingers.

Directed by Claude Chabrol, Torment is a 1994 drama thriller with screenplay credits to José-André Lacour, Jean Ferry and Henri-Georges Clouzot. The cast features Emmanuelle Béart, François Cluzet, Nathalie Cardone, André Wilms and Marc Lavoine. The production carries a lean budget of about 10 million and showcases Chabrol's precise, coolly clinical approach.

As a late entry in Chabrol's line of domestic thrillers, Torment sharpens the lens on obsessive desire and the fragility of perception. The film is noted for its clinical mood, precise blocking, and performances that underline how suspicion can turn a home into a pressure chamber. The performances, led by Béart and Cluzet, anchor the drama.

Reception has framed the movie as a stark, intellectual thriller rather than a sensational psycho drama. It foregrounds themes of jealousy, rationalization, and the corrosive power of fear. Béart and Cluzet deliver restrained, unsettling performances that sustain the suspense as the story probes how a man's mind can turn against itself.

Awards: No major nominations or wins are listed for Torment in the available data, so the film is recognized mainly for its direction and performances rather than accolade gold. It remains a quiet critical curiosity within Chabrol's later work, valued by cinephiles for its austere atmosphere and psychological focus.