Journal d'un curé de campagne

In 1936, Georges Bernanos' novel Journal d'un curé de campagne was published, a highly acclaimed work awarded the prestigious Grand prix du roman de l'Académie française and more. In The Diary of a Country Priest, as it was translated into English, the Roman Catholic faith plays a central role, with Bernanos, himself a man of faith, particularly interested in the struggle between good and evil. Fifteen years later, Bresson made a fairly faithful film adaption, starring debuting Belgian actor Claude Laydu as the country priest.

A young, newly appointed priest is assigned his first parish in the northern French village of Ambricourt. No one seems happy to see him: the villagers ignore him; his catechism class students ridicule him. To make things worse, he suffers from chronic stomach. Matters are complicated further when he starts to interfere in the affairs of the local count and countess. Meanwhile, he records everything in his diary.