Under the Sun of Satan 1987
Directed by
Maurice Pialat
Made by
Erato Films
Under the Sun of Satan Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Under the Sun of Satan (1987). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
Newly ordained as a Catholic priest, Donissan Gérard Depardieu is assigned to a quiet rural parish under the care of the seasoned mentor Menou-Segrais Maurice Pialat. The young priest wrestles with deep-seated doubts about his calling and has begun to punish himself through ritual flagellation in a bid to prove his worth. When he confides his feelings of inadequacy to his elder, the elder priest offers a compassionate assessment: it is not too late to choose another path, yet he also sees in Donissan a substantial gift—one that could become a force for good if guided by faith rather than fear.
A parishioner named Mouchette Sandrine Bonnaire, the 16-year-old daughter of a brewer, comes to seek aid from one of her lovers, a marquis named Cadignan Alain Artur. She wants to flee to Paris, but Cadignan explains that he cannot offer much assistance due to his own financial troubles. He does, however, allow her to stay the night. In the morning, she toys with his shotgun, which is loaded, and Cadignan dies. She slips away, cleansing the blood from her clothes as she goes.
Mouchette then visits another lover, a married physician named Gallet Yann Dedet. After they share a moment of intimacy, she reveals that she is pregnant and that Cadignan’s death has been ruled a suicide. Gallet reluctantly tells her that he will not help her with an abortion and that Cadignan cannot be blamed for the circumstances.
Back at the parish, Menou-Segrais grows uneasy about the growing discomfort surrounding Donissan’s unorthodox vocation, and he sends the younger priest to lend aid in a neighboring village. On a walk through the fields at dusk, Donissan is approached by a mysterious horse-trader who appears to be the incarnation of Satan. This figure cannot break Donissan’s resolve physically or spiritually, but he claims that the young priest possesses a rare and troubling gift: the ability to look into the souls of others.
Donissan faints and later awakens in the morning to find Mouchette wandering in the fields again. He tells her that he can see her life and thoughts clearly and urges her to repent for the sin she has committed against Cadignan. She returns home and, consumed by guilt, ends her life by cutting her throat with a razor. Donissan, terrified of the consequences yet driven by compassion, carries her battered body to the church and lays it before the altar in a public act of intercession, hoping to salvage her soul.
The event catalyzes a crisis in his career. The authorities move him to another parish, seeking to calm the scandal and the unease among the faithful. Yet as word spreads, people begin to regard him as a holy man, even as he remains internally tormented and spiritually uncertain. A farmer from a nearby village asks him to come to his dying young son. Donissan arrives with reluctance, almost ready to abandon the task, but he feels the weight of expectation on him. He enters the boy’s room, lifts the body for a moment of prayer, and, miraculously, the child’s eyes open.
The emotional and mental strain intensifies as Donissan confronts the limits of his faith and the demands placed upon him by those who seek miracles and guidance. He endures a nocturnal assault by Satan and begs God to spare him if there is any purpose left for his suffering. He survives the ordeal, resumes his duties at the confessional, and continues to wrestle with his vocation while offering solace and mercy to those who seek him. When Menou-Segrais eventually visits the confessional, the two men share a quiet, final moment of understanding. After the last penitent leaves, Menou-Segrais discovers Donissan dead, having borne the trials of his faith to the very end.
Under the Sun of Satan Timeline
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Ordination and assignment to a rural parish
Donissan is newly ordained and sent to a rural parish under the veteran priest Menou-Segrais. He immediately wrestles with doubts about his vocation and subjects himself to flagellation to prove his worth. Menou-Segrais senses a powerful capacity for good in him, even as he worries about the young priest's unrest.
Doubts and self-flagellation
Donissan confesses his feelings of unworthiness to Menou-Segrais, admitting that he questions whether he is truly fit for the priesthood. He imposes severe self-flagellation as he searches for spiritual certainty. Menou-Segrais tries to reassure him that doubt does not disqualify his calling.
Mentor's counsel and warning of potential
Menou-Segrais warns about Donissan's unsettled state but tells him it is not too late to choose another path if needed. Yet he also recognizes the young man's extraordinary potential to do good should he endure. The exchange foreshadows a clash between vocation and inner torment.
Cadignan's death and Mouchette's visit
Mouchette, the 16-year-old daughter of a brewer and Cadignan's lover, visits Cadignan at his home with plans to run away to Paris. In the morning, Cadignan lies dead after an incident with her loaded shotgun, and she washes the blood from her clothes. The event sets in motion a chain of tragedies that will test the priest's conscience.
Mouchette's pregnancy and Gallet
Following that, she goes to Doctor Gallet and they have sex; she reveals she is pregnant. Gallet notes Cadignan's death is ruled a suicide and refuses to help with an abortion.
Donissan sent to another village
Worried by the parishioners' discomfort with Donissan, Menou-Segrais sends him to assist in another village. Donissan walks the dark fields to the new assignment, uneasy about the recent events and his own inner turmoil.
Encounter with Satan and revelation
On the way, a mysterious horse-trader confronts Donissan, revealed to be an incarnation of Satan. He cannot seduce him, but he concedes that Donissan has the gift of seeing into souls. The encounter marks the beginning of Donissan's awareness of his uncanny powers.
Morning of revelation: Donissan meets Mouchette
Donissan faints and later wakes to find Mouchette wandering in the fields. He tells her that he can see her life and thoughts and that she must repent for killing Cadignan.
Mouchette's suicide
In despair, Mouchette returns to her parents' house and cuts her throat with a razor. Donissan fears the worst and goes there to confront the tragedy and to pray for her soul.
Donissan carries Mouchette to the church
He carries her bleeding body to the church and lays it before the altar, praying that her soul will be saved. The shocking act fuels Donissan's reputation as a holy man amid growing turmoil. The act also foreshadows the consequences of his radical compassion.
Transfer and rising reputation
Donissan is transferred to another parish, where people gradually recognize him as a holy man despite his ongoing spiritual turmoil. His notoriety grows as the community questions and venerates him in equal measure.
Dying farmer's son and the test of faith
A farmer from a neighboring village asks Donissan to come to his dying little son. He is initially reluctant, but goes to the bedroom and, as he prays, the child's eyes open, giving those present a moment of grace and belief. The miracle reinforces Donissan's power despite his inner unrest.
Satan's night attack and vow to continue
The strain of his mental torments and the demands of the parishioners leave Donissan fragile. One night he is attacked by Satan and prays to God to keep him alive if there is still use for him, seeking a sign of divine purpose.
Final confession and death
Donissan recovers enough to return to the confessional. After the last parishioner leaves, Menou-Segrais goes to the confessional box and finds Donissan dead, marking the end of his trials and his life of sacred turmoil.
Under the Sun of Satan Characters
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Donissan (Gérard Depardieu)
A newly ordained priest tormented by doubts and drawn to self-denial, he sees a potential gift to discern souls yet feels his own fragility. He struggles between vocation and spiritual danger, seeking holiness while teetering on the edge of fanaticism.
Mouchette (Sandrine Bonnaire)
A 16-year-old parishioner whose longing for escape clashes with harsh realities. Her actions reveal a vulnerable innocence marred by circumstance, becoming the catalyst that tests mercy, judgment, and the limits of forgiveness.
Menou-Segrais (Maurice Pialat)
An experienced parish priest who guides Donissan and assesses his vocation. He embodies pastoral authority and cautious wisdom, trying to temper zeal with prudence amid spiritual risk.
Cadignan (Alain Artur)
A marquis whose financial anxieties influence his actions and relationships. His worldly concerns intersect with the moral turmoil surrounding Mouchette, highlighting the impact of status on moral choices.
Gallet (Yann Dedet)
A married doctor who becomes entangled with Mouchette. He treats the situation pragmatically and refuses help with abortion after learning of the pregnancy, illustrating ethical conflict and avoidance.
Le maquignon (Jean-Christophe Bouvet)
A horse-trader who appears as a mysterious figure and is revealed to be an incarnation of Satan, testing Donissan's resolve and temptations.
Under the Sun of Satan Settings
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Location
Rural French parish, French countryside, church
The film unfolds in a small rural parish in France, with the church at its center and fields surrounding the village. The setting feels insular and traditional, where faith, social norms, and daily toil shape the lives of its inhabitants. The quiet landscape mirrors Donissan's inner isolation as he grapples with his vocation and perceived spiritual danger.
Under the Sun of Satan Themes
Discover the main themes in Under the Sun of Satan (1987). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
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Faith vs Doubt
A newly ordained priest is consumed by doubts about his calling and the need for self-denial. His private torment collides with his vows to help others, blurring the line between faith and fear. The film probes how belief can both sustain and destabilize a person’s sense of self.
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Sin and Redemption
Mouchette's acts, including the killing of Cadignan and the ensuing pregnancy and suicide, trigger a meditation on sin, guilt, and the possibility of mercy. Donissan's responses raise questions about mercy, repentance, and whether redemption is possible for those touched by tragedy. The narrative suggests that forgiveness is pursued through spiritual intervention and acts of compassion, even amid tragedy.
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Good vs Evil
A mysterious figure claiming to be Satan tests Donissan, offering temptation and revealing the breadth of his capacity to gaze into souls. The conflict is both external and internal, as the priest confronts despair and the limits of human virtue. Evil is presented as a probing force that challenges sanctity and human resolve.
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Compassion and Sacrifice
Donissan’s mercy manifests in acts of selfless care, from aiding a dying child to carrying Mouchette’s body to the church. These gestures position him as a flawed yet saintly figure whose endurance becomes the community’s spiritual touchstone. The narrative ties genuine faith to costly, compassionate action.
Under the Sun of Satan Spoiler-Free Summary
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In a remote French countryside, a newly ordained priest is thrust into a quiet parish where the rhythm of daily life is marked by ancient rites and the weight of unspoken histories. The landscape, with its muted fields and stone churches, feels both timeless and suffocating, creating a backdrop for a meditation on faith that is as much about the land as it is about the soul.
Donissan arrives with a fierce yearning to prove his worth, yet he is haunted by doubts that drive him toward self‑imposed austerities. His mentor, the seasoned Menou‑Segrais, watches the young clergyman with a mixture of compassion and caution, offering counsel that hints at alternate paths while recognizing a rare, unsettling gift that could shape his destiny. Their interactions frame a delicate power dynamic in which guidance and expectation clash with the priest’s inner turmoil.
Into this austere world wanders Mouchette, a sixteen‑year‑old whose presence unsettles the parish’s fragile equilibrium. Burdened by a personal tragedy and the desperate search for redemption, she seeks the priest’s help, embodying the fragile line between innocence and transgression. Her quiet desperation and the looming moral dilemmas she presents become a catalyst for the young priest’s struggle to reconcile his calling with the harsh realities that surround him.
The film unfolds with a stark, almost reverent aesthetic, its muted palette underscoring a tone of lingering unease. Beneath the pastoral surface, a subtle, ever‑present temptation whispers, testing the limits of belief and endurance. As the characters navigate their intertwined fates, the story invites viewers to contemplate the fragile boundary between devotion and doubt, leaving an atmosphere charged with spiritual dread and lingering curiosity.
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