''Frequent Death'' (original title: ''Fréquence meurtre'') is a 1988 French

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combin ...

directed by Élisabeth Rappeneau. It is based on

Stuart M. Kaminsky Stuart M. Kaminsky (September 29, 1934 – October 9, 2009) was an American mystery writer and film professor. He is known for three long-running series of mystery novels featuring the protagonists Toby Peters, a private detective in 1940s Holl ...

's 1983

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itself ...

''When the Dark Man Calls''.

Plot

Jeanne Quester is a single mother. As a certified

psychologist A psychologist is a professional who practices psychology and studies mental states, perceptual Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the pre ...

, she works two jobs. During daytime she does

social work Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social wo ...

, but at night she is a

radio personality A radio personality (American English) or radio presenter (British English) is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host, and in India and Pakistan as a rad ...

who provides live advice for needy callers. Due to the success of her radio show, she receives the offer to work for TV. Suddenly she is menaced by alienating, enigmatic calls whenever she is on air. Moreover, a stranger manages to secretly access her flat and when Jeanne returns there, she finds her daughter's

parrot Parrots, also known as psittacines (), are birds of the roughly 398 species in 92 genera comprising the order Psittaciformes (), found mostly in tropical and subtropical regions. The order is subdivided into three superfamilies: the Psittacoide ...

killed. Later, she discovers somebody has attacked her car. Jeanne turns to her brother Frank, who is a policeman. Frank finds out that the convicted murderer of their parents was released just recently. Jeanne is afraid the murderer is out for vengeance. Eventually she finds the alleged murderer himself brutally killed in her flat. Even so, the more and more openly threatening calls continue and finally her daughter gets kidnapped by the mysterious caller. Jeanne meets the kidnapper who turns out being the real murderer of her parents. He discloses his identity and tells her what really happened back then. When Jeanne can't comply with his demands, he decides to kill her.

Cast

Catherine Deneuve Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve (, , ), is a French actress as well as an occasional singer, model, and producer, considered one of the greatest European actresses. She gained recogni ...

as Jeanne Quester * André Dussollier as Frank Quester *

Martin Lamotte Martin Lamotte (born 2 June 1947) is a French actor, comedian and director. He participated in several films alongside Le Splendid. He is most known for his role on the TV Series "SoeurThérèse.com" and "Nos chers voisins". Filmography Th ...

as Simon Lieberman * Étienne Chicot as Roger *Inès Claye as Pauline *Madeleine Marie as Ida Faber *Philippe Lehembre as Faber *Daniel Rialet as Fred Bastin *Alain Stern as MacGregor * Martine Chevallier as Marie

References

External links

* *
''Frequent Death''
at

Moviefone Moviefone is an American-based moving pictures listing and information service. Moviegoers can obtain local showtimes, cinema information, film reviews, and advance tickets, as well as TV content and a comprehensive search tool that allows users ...

''Frequent Death'' at Uni France
1988 films 1980s crime thriller films French crime thriller films Films with screenplays by Jacques Audiard 1980s French-language films 1980s French films {{crime-thriller-film-stub