Genealogies of a Crime (1997): Cast, Box Office & Plot
Genealogies of a Crime is a 1997 drama thriller directed by Raúl Ruiz, starring Melvil Poupaud as René, Lemmy Constantine and Catherine Deneuve. It runs 1 hour 53 minutes and earned $77,998 worldwide.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 53m (113 min)
- Director
- Raúl Ruiz
- Original language
-
French - Studio
- Madragoa Filmes
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Genealogies of a Crime About?
The premise of Genealogies of a Crime without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
The case hinges on whether the aunt—a psychiatrist who took the young man under her care to study his possible homicidal urges—is merely a victim, a perpetrator, or both. An attorney defends the accused, navigating a maze of family ties, psychological evaluation, and the unsettling notion that the very person meant to protect may be complicit.
Genealogies of a Crime Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- reference to the brothers karamazov the novel
- nonlinear timeline
- told in flashback
- defense lawyer
- murder of aunt
- voice over reading
- reading someone else's diary
- aunt nephew relationship
- running after a thief
- psychoanalyst
- reference to stephane mallarme
- stolen shoes
+38 more Show fewer
- dream telling
- predestination
- mistaken identity
- first person narration
- notebook
- unreliable witness
- acquitted of murder charge
- reference to socrates
- suicide by poison
- older woman younger man relationship
- stabbed to death
- france
- flashback
- flashback within a flashback
- actress playing dual role
- son
- psychiatrist
- murder
- journal
- funeral
- tableau vivant
- cat
- female lawyer
- game
- game of go
- animal abuse
- mass suicide
- champagne
- paris france
- cult director
- evil child
- two way mirror
- psychoanalysis
- knife
- freudian slip
- dual role
- defenestration
- blindfold
Genealogies of a Crime Cast & Characters
Melvil Poupaud leads the cast as René, with Lemmy Constantine as Le médecin de René and Catherine Deneuve as Jeanne / Solange. Directed by Raúl Ruiz; 30 actors are credited in all.
- Director Raúl Ruiz
-
Melvil Poupaud as René - Lemmy Constantine as Le médecin de René
-
Catherine Deneuve as Jeanne / Solange - Jean-Yves Gautier as Mathieu
Also Starring in Genealogies of a Crime
· 26 more- Brigitte Sy Jeanne
- Michel Piccoli Georges Didier
- Oum' Dierryla L'assistante de Georges
- Bernadette Lafont Esther
- Monique Mélinand Louise
- Mathieu Amalric Yves
- Andrzej Seweryn Christian
- Michael Collins Le comédien américain
- Hubert Saint-Macary Verret
- Pascal Bonitzer Le directeur d'école
- James Thierrée Le jeune comédien américain
- Jean Badin L'avocat
- Jean-François Lapalus Le médecin morgue
- Camila Mora-Scheihing Soledad
- Jacques Pieiller Le garçon de café
- Massoud Hattou Psychiatre 3
Show all 30 cast members Show fewer cast members
- Bernard Pautrat Psychiatre 2
- André Engel Psychiatre 1
- Katie Haigh La fille de Verret
- Patrick Modiano Bob
- Laurence Clément Aline, la secrétaire
- Camille Le Foll L'infirmière
- Lisa Swanson La comédienne américaine
- Theo Vives René à 9 ans
- Ivan Assouline René à 5 ans
- Melinee Prochasson La petite fille
More from Raúl Ruiz
More films directed by Raúl Ruiz: Socialist Realism, The Tango of the Widower and Its Distorting Mirror, The Wandering Soap Opera and Nucingen House.
Genealogies of a Crime Plot Summary
What happens in Genealogies of a Crime from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
On a stormy night, the movie opens with a tense scene where René, played by Melvil Poupaud, disposes of a knife in a mysterious act that hints at darker events to come. As the camera lingers on an empty Go board, a narrator recites an ancient Chinese fable about a young man who kills a woman from the Liu Bao family, only to be killed after falling in love with her ghost—an allegory that sets the tone for the film’s exploration of obsession, memory, and psychological unraveling.
Full summary
The whole story of Genealogies of a Crime, scene by scene
Genealogies of a Crime Box Office
Genealogies of a Crime grossed $77,998 worldwide.
Worldwide gross
$78K
- US & Canada
- $78K
How Well Do You Know Genealogies of a Crime?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Who plays the character of Solange in the film?
Seen Genealogies of a Crime?
Movies Like Genealogies of a Crime
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including A Crime, A Murder Is a Murder and Crime and Punishment.
Genealogies of a Crime FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast, box office, post-credit scenes and language of Genealogies of a Crime, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Genealogies of a Crime?
Genealogies of a Crime runs 1 hour 53 minutes (113 minutes).
When was Genealogies of a Crime released?
Genealogies of a Crime was released on May 4, 1997.
Who directed Genealogies of a Crime?
Genealogies of a Crime was directed by Raúl Ruiz.
More films by Raúl Ruiz Who is in the cast of Genealogies of a Crime?
Genealogies of a Crime stars Melvil Poupaud as René, Lemmy Constantine as Le médecin de René and Catherine Deneuve as Jeanne / Solange, among 30 credited actors.
How much did Genealogies of a Crime make at the box office?
Genealogies of a Crime grossed $77,998 worldwide.
Does Genealogies of a Crime have a post-credit scene?
No. Genealogies of a Crime has no extra scene during or after the credits.
What language is Genealogies of a Crime in?
The original language of Genealogies of a Crime is French.
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