This austere but moving tale of rural life blends the symbolic power of fable with an authenticity usually associated with documentary. The inviting beauty of the south of France belies the struggles of a nameless unwed mother and her seven illegitimate children, who lead a meager existence working vegetable fields owned by their harsh, bullying father. Most of their crops go to support the father’s legitimate family, who reside in a nearby estate. Up to now, a powerful erotic bond between the father and the mother has been the glue of this apparently mutual and consenting arrangement. But with that attraction fading, the mother has begun to feel trapped in a hopeless situation. So too, the father has begun to ease the guilt he feels for betraying his legitimate family by increasing his cruelty toward his illegitimate sons and daughters. When the father announces that he will not be spending Christmas with them, the mother makes a desperate decision.
