What Is Thieves About?
The premise of Thieves in 320 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In the shadowed streets of Lyon’s La Duchère district, a family’s fractured legacy hangs like a quiet storm. Justin, a boy from a modest Rhône‑Alpes town, awakens to the news that his father, Ivan, is gone, while his widowed grandfather, Victor, tries to hold together the remnants of a life built on both love and danger. The funeral draws together a cast of uneasy relatives: Alex, Ivan’s younger brother and a police officer who has chosen the badge over family loyalty, Mireille, the mother whose grief fuels lingering tensions, and Juliette, a striking woman whose presence seems to reverberate through every corner of their world.
Ivan commands a magnetic presence, operating a popular night‑club that doubles as a stage for drag performances and an unspoken hub for the city’s undercurrents. His appetite for excitement and control pulls him into a web of risk‑filled ventures that clash with the rigid order Alex strives to uphold in his precinct. The brothers embody a stark dichotomy—one chasing the rush of outlaw freedom, the other policing the same streets—creating a tension that is as personal as it is professional.
Juliette arrives as both a catalyst and a mystery, her allure drawing Alex into a complicated liaison that blurs the lines between duty and desire. Her connections to other figures, such as her brother Jimmy and the introspective philosopher Marie, weave her further into the tangled tapestry of loyalties and hidden motives. Through her, the fragile balance between law, crime, and yearning becomes ever more precarious, hinting at consequences that could ripple far beyond their immediate circle.
The film unfolds with a moody, atmospheric tone, blending the gritty realism of Lyon’s urban landscape with the seductive allure of night‑life spectacle. It explores themes of family, forbidden attraction, and the thin veil separating order from chaos, inviting the audience to linger in the uneasy space where every glance, secret, and whispered promise could tip the scales.
What Happens in Thieves?
The complete story of Thieves, from the first scene to the last, in 612 words (about 3 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 7 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
Justin, Julien Rivière, a boy living in a small town in the Rhône-Alpes region, is awakened in the middle of the night by his mother Mireille, Catherine Deneuve. His widowed grandfather, Victor, Didier Bezace, tells him that his father, Ivan, Benoît Magimel, is dead. The next day, Alex, Daniel Auteuil, Justin’s uncle and Ivan’s little brother, arrives for the funeral accompanied by a woman, Juliette, Fabienne Babe. Justin notices the rising tension among the adults, and in a quiet act of self-preservation he takes his father’s gun and hides it. The story then shifts through time, moving backward and forward to shed light on how Ivan’s death came to pass.
Alex, who has rebelled against his family by becoming a cop, works in the deprived La Duchère district of Lyon. He begins with a fateful encounter from a year before Ivan’s death, when he first meets Juliette, who is brought to his office after a shoplifting arrest; he lets her off. He encounters her again one evening at the sleazy nightclub run by his elder brother, Ivan. Ivan is a crime boss who runs a popular club with a drag revue, funding his enterprise through a stolen‑auto ring led by Jimmy, Pierre Perez Juliette’s brother. The two siblings are on opposite sides of the law, and their relationship is tense from the start. Ivan is proud to show Alex that he is achieving more through crime than Alex does through the law. After their second encounter, Alex and Juliette begin a tortured affair, meeting regularly for sex, though he is not in love with her. The affair is further complicated by Juliette’s emotional and sexual involvement with Marie, a professor of philosophy. Alex spies on Marie, adding another layer of surveillance and longing to a web of loyalties. Ivan learns of Juliette’s liaison with Alex and issues threats to Juliette.
Ivan and his gang, including Juliette, plan a coordinated theft of cars at a railway depot. The heist goes disastrously awry, and Ivan is shot dead along with a security guard. Juliette, coerced into participating against Jimmy’s wishes, is left distraught by Ivan’s death. In the aftermath, Juliette’s emotional instability leads her toward self‑destructive acts, including two suicide attempts—one while staying with her brother and another while visiting Marie. Marie has Juliette interned in a psychiatric hospital to recuperate. Alex asks Marie for the address of Juliette’s clinic, but she has disappeared. In the search for Juliette, Marie visits the housing estate where she once lived; after Ivan’s cremation, Alex makes efforts to connect with his nephew, though he struggles to find him. At a local fair, Justin threatens Alex with an air rifle, and the boy then learns the truth about his father’s death from his grandfather Victor.
Marie visits Alex, who explains that Juliette was involved in the heist and that he is actively trying to locate her. The two develop an uneasy friendship as they, from a distance, work to protect Juliette. Later Alex visits Marie and finds she has become a recluse, writing a book about Juliette. He reassures her that Juliette is safe, even as he receives the manuscript and the tapes of Juliette’s voice in the mail. He eventually travels to Marseille in an effort to see Juliette, but decides to leave her be when he observes that she appears to have rebuilt a new life, working in a bookshop. Justin has inherited the family’s wary temperament and does not trust his uncle, yet he forms a contrasting bond with Jimmy. In the end, Jimmy decides to marry Ivan’s widow, Mireille, cementing a fragile, complex web of loyalties that threads through the family’s past and present.
Thieves Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
14 key events in the order they happen, from “Ivan's death is revealed” to “Juliette's life and the family’s future”. 14 events name a place, across 12 locations.
- 1
Ivan's death is revealed
Justin is awakened in the middle of the night as his mother Mireille weeps. His grandfather Victor tells him that his father, Ivan, is dead. This brutal news sets the tone for the mystery that unfolds through flashbacks and family tensions.
When:night Where:Justin's home, Rhône-Alpes, France
- 2
The funeral and family tensions
The next day, Alex arrives with Juliette for Ivan's funeral. Justin senses the tense atmosphere among relatives and power players. He secretly takes his father's gun and hides it, signaling the violence that haunts the family.
When:the day of the funeral Where:Ivan's funeral, Rhône-Alpes, France
- 3
A past meeting: Alex meets Juliette for the first time
The story flashes back to a year earlier, when Alex, now a cop, first meets Juliette after she is arrested and brought to his office. He chooses mercy and lets her go, initiating a wary, ambiguous bond. This early encounter foreshadows their later complicated relationship.
When:one year earlier Where:La Duchère, Lyon, France
- 4
Ivan's empire and the nightclub
Alex visits Ivan's sleazy nightclub and glimpses the criminal empire behind the glamour. Ivan runs a popular drag revue and funds the business through a stolen-auto ring led by Jimmy. Juliette is tied to the operation as Ivan's sisterly figure within the network.
When:before Ivan's death Where:Lyon, Ivan's nightclub
- 5
The forbidden affair begins
Alex and Juliette begin a tortured affair, meeting regularly for sex. He is not in love with her, and their relationship is strained by Marie, a philosophy professor connected to Juliette. The illicit bond grows under the shadow of danger.
When:the year before Ivan's death Where:Lyon, various locations
- 6
Ivan threatens Juliette
Ivan learns of Juliette's relationship with Alex and threatens her. He asserts control and warns of consequences, heightening the danger around Juliette. The pressure contributes to the decision to pull off the heist.
When:the year before Ivan's death Where:Ivan's circle, Lyon
- 7
The railway-yard heist is planned
Ivan and his gang plan a theft at a railway marshaling yard. Juliette is coerced into participating, despite her resistance. Jimmy leads the operation, tying Juliette further to Ivan's criminal empire.
When:before Ivan's death Where:Railway marshaling yard
- 8
The heist turns deadly
The plan goes disastrously wrong when Ivan is shot dead along with a security guard. Juliette, coerced into participating, is distraught by the violence and the collapse of her world. The murder shatters the family and triggers a cascade of emotional fallout.
When:during the heist Where:Railway marshaling yard
- 9
Juliette's mental collapse and hospitalization
Overwhelmed by guilt and loss, Juliette makes two suicide attempts. Marie has her interned in a psychiatric hospital to recuperate. The trauma marks a turning point for everyone linked to Ivan's world.
When:immediately after the heist Where:Psychiatric hospital
- 10
Marie searches for Juliette and Alex's involvement
Marie visits Juliette's housing estate apartment in a bid to locate her. Alex asks Marie for the address of Juliette's clinic, hoping to bring her to safety. Juliette remains missing, and the search presses on.
When:shortly after hospitalization Where:Housing estate, Lyon, France
Show the other 4 events of Thieves Hide the last 4 events
- 11
Alex and Marie form an uneasy alliance
Alex tells Marie that Juliette was involved in the heist and that he is trying to find her. They develop an uneasy friendship as they work from a distance to protect Juliette. Marie retreats into writing as she drifts away from the others.
When:after hospitalization Where:Marie's residence, Lyon, France
- 12
Marie's manuscript and Juliette's voice tapes
Alex later learns that Marie has died by suicide as he receives her manuscript and the tapes of Juliette's voice. The discovery deepens the sense of loss and unresolved questions surrounding Juliette. The material offers a window into Juliette's inner world.
When:later Where:Marseille, France
- 13
Alex seeks Juliette in Marseille
Alex travels to Marseille hoping to find Juliette, but decides to leave her in peace when he sees she has built a new life. Juliette has started working in a bookshop and lives a quiet life away from her past. The distance between them preserves a fragile, unresolved bond.
When:after Marie's death Where:Marseille, France
- 14
Juliette's life and the family’s future
Juliette has rebuilt her life in Marseille, away from crime. Justin, Ivan's grandson, has taken after his father and grandfather, yet he forms a surprising bond with Jimmy. Jimmy decides to marry Mireille, Ivan's widow, signaling a fragile new balance for the clan.
When:later Where:Marseille and Lyon region, France
Who Are the Main Characters in Thieves?
8 characters, among them Mireille, Victor and Alex: who each one is and the part they play in the story.
- M
Mireille
Justin's mother, a grieving widow whose tears at the wake reveal a fragile household. She embodies the emotional toll of a family haunted by loss and divided loyalties.
- 💔 Grief
- 👪 Family
- 🏠 Domestic
- V
Victor
Justin's grandfather, a widower who carries the family history. He acts as a quiet catalyst, steering the uncovering of truth about Ivan's death.
- 🧓 Grandparent
- 🗝️ Secrets
- 👪 Family
- A
Alex
Justin's uncle and a police officer who has rebelled against the family by choosing law and order. He is torn between duty and kinship as events unfold.
- 🕵️♂️ Law
- ⚖️ Duty
- 🌀 Family conflict
- I
Ivan
Crime boss who runs a nightclub with a drag revue and finances the operation with a stolen-auto ring. He exerts power and invites disaster.
- 💎 Crime
- 🕶️ Power
- 🎰 Heist
- J
Juliette
A conflicted woman drawn into the criminal world, involved with Alex and coerced into the heist. Emotionally torn, she seeks escape and control.
- 💃 Drama
- 🌀 Relational conflict
- 💔 Love
- M
Marie
A philosophy professor who becomes a confidant to Juliette and Alex; she writes about Juliette, descending into isolation as events spiral.
- 📚 Academia
- 🧠 Insight
- 🌀 Obsession
- J
Justin
The boy who unravels his family's secrets and inherits his elders’ wary gaze, while trying to understand his father's death.
- 👦 Youth
- 🧭 Innocence
- 🕯️ Truth
- J
Jimmy
Ivan's ally and the head of the auto theft ring, whose ambitions complicate loyalties within the criminal network.
- 🔑 Heist
- 🕶️ Criminal network
- 🌀 Loyalty
Where and When Is Thieves Set?
Thieves is set in Rhône-Alpes, Lyon (La Duchère district) and Marseille. Here is why the place matters to the story.
Where
Rhône-Alpes, Lyon (La Duchère district), Marseille
A small town in the Rhône-Alpes region anchors the story's start, with a tight-knit community weighed down by hardship. The narrative shifts to Lyon's deprived La Duchère district, a dense urban environment where crime and tension simmer. It also tracks Juliette's attempt to vanish into a new life in Marseille, while a railway yard serves as the focal point for the heist that drives the plot.
- 🏙️ Urban
- 🏞️ Regional
- 🚂 Crime setting
What Are the Themes of Thieves?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Family Ties, Crime & Morality and Pursuit & Secrets.
-
01
Family Ties
The film centers on a fractured family bound by blood and history. Grief over Ivan's death, rivalries between uncles and fathers, and the fragile ties to the next generation fuel every decision. Secrets and loyalties ripple through generations, shaping both the present danger and the characters' choices.
-
02
Crime & Morality
A world of crime and ambition tests personal ethics. Ivan's criminal empire undercuts appearances of success; Juliette's coerced involvement reveals how love and survival can warp into dependency. The characters constantly navigate right and wrong, with consequences spilling into ordinary life.
-
03
Pursuit & Secrets
Alex's investigation collides with Juliette's attempts to vanish, while Marie's research uncovers her own hidden truths. The search for Juliette becomes a broader hunt for truth about the family's past and the mechanism of violence holding them together. The pursuit binds strangers—family and lovers—in a fragile network of secrets.
What Kind of Film Is Thieves?
Dark in tone, with steady pacing and a complex story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Dark
- Pacing
- Steady
- Story
- Complex
- Intensity
- High
- Ending
- Bittersweet
A tense and melancholic crime drama that follows a fractured family through a web of fatal relationships, illegal heists, and psychological trauma, resulting in a heavy, brooding atmosphere.
- anxious
- melancholic
- brooding
- tense
- fatalistic
- sordid
- crime gone wrong
- family estrangement
- forbidden romance
- grief and loss
Content notes: death by shooting, suicide attempts, psychological trauma.
