La Passion Béatrice

The usually temperate Tavernier veers towards the dark side in this catalogue of medieval cruelty. Lord of the manor Donnadieu returns from the wars in a state of rage, seeking nothing but bloodshed and harm. He rapes his daughter, dresses his insufficiently macho son in a frock and sets the hunt on him, and plunders the neighbourhood. Just the situation for a hero to set right, but none is forthcoming. This monster only dies when he himself wills it. Tavernier has enjoyed recreating the detail of this cheerless world, with its contending superstitions. But it's relentlessly brutal and extremely long. What were they again, the rewards of Tragedy?