Murderous Maids

Les Blessures assassines
Directed by	Jean-Pierre Denis
Starring	Sylvie Testud as Christine Papin Julie-Marie Parmentier as Léa Papin Isabelle Renauld as Clémence François Levantal as the war veteran Dominique Labourier as Madame Lancelin Jean-Gabriel Nordmann as M. Lancelin Marie Donnio as Geneviève Lancelin Nadia Barentin as La mère supérieure
Release date(s)	22 November 2000
Running time	94 minutes
Country	France
Language	French

Murderous Maids (French: Les blessures assassines) is a French film directed by Jean-Pierre Denis, released in 2000, which deals with the Papin sisters. The screenplay by Jean-Pierre Denis with Michèle Pétin, was based on the book L'Affaire Papin by Paulette Houdyer which told the story of a double murder that made sensational headlines in France in 1933.

Plot

Christine Papin (Sylvie Testud), and Léa Papin (Julie-Marie Parmentier) are sisters with an already troubled past. Madame Lancelin takes them into her home and employs the girls as maids. Christine sees in Madame Lancelin an ideal mother figure — in spite of her severity. But their wretched background — an indifferent mother and drunken abusive father — casts a shadow over the girls and over time their ill-fated situation darkens. The sisters withdraw into themselves and finish by committing the worst — killing Madame Lancelin and her daughter after six years of service, on the 2 February 1933 in Le Mans.

Awards and nominations

Sylvie Testud won the César Award for Most Promising Actress in 2001 for her performance as Christine Papin. The film was nominated for the César for best film, and Jean-Pierre Denis for best director.

External links

• Murderous Maids at the Internet Movie Database