Bay of Angels

1963 1h 30m French 7.2

Action, Drama, Romance

Jean Fournier is a young Parisian bank clerk who laments his rather poor pay. He is inherently a conservative man, much of his life centered on doing things with his widowed father, with who he still lives, rather than eking out his own life, and is risk averse. That latter issue is why he is hesitant to accompany his colleague Caron to the casino, Caron, who has the same pay as Jean, able to purchase a car with a gambling windfall, buying a car which Jean cannot even fathom on his wages. Even Jean's first win at the roulette table, which gives him a taste of the euphoria of gambling, is somewhat with mixed emotions in not believing in getting something for really doing nothing. Regardless, Jean, rather than go off on a regular family vacation, takes Caron's suggestion to holiday on the French Riviera where there are many more casinos. There, Jean meets Jackie Demaistre, a woman he and Caron saw being thrown out of a casino in Enghien for allegedly cheating. More than Caron, Jackie is able to convince Jean to go beyond his usual comfort zone while gambling. As an emotional connection forms between the two, the question becomes if their relationship is sustainable as it is based largely on their connection to gambling, as they go into it with different perspectives - Jackie whose addiction is not based on money for money's sake as she only squanders away whatever she may win and is willing to hit rock bottom on the possibility of winning, while Jean does it solely for the potential for the financial windfall and in his conservatism always wants to have a rainy day fund - and as those different perspectives may be a chasm they cannot or will not cross for the other.—Huggo