When she earns money at the tavern for doing odd jobs, her father pockets it. She has nothing. One night, when Mouchette is trapped by a storm in the forest on her way home, the poacher finds her. What happens then is at the heart of this tragic tale. Bresson is doing what he loves to do, throwing salt into the wounds of romance.
Nothing feels gratuitous.
Life is torn between inequality and rejection. Take a deep breath. There are no placebos here. And it goes on hurting. Nadine Nortier brings to the title role an intensity far beyond her years.