Anne-Marie's lover and a ship builder who is seeking a major project in China. He encourages her to leave her failing marriage and escape with him to China.
Jean-Devaivre is an assistant director working for the German production company Continental Films during the occupation. Though respected there, he secretly takes part in dangerous resistance activity and is one of the film’s two central figures alongside Jean Aurenche.
The father of the Duval family, who helps confront the death of the family dog and continues working as a taxi driver into old age. By 2000, he suffers from severe back pain and is urgently sent for medical examination, prompting reflections on mortality and missed opportunities.
Le Commandant Lassalle leads the investigation into Isabelle Royer's mutilation and the later disfigured victim. He questions evidence, suspects Narvik, and gradually links the murders to a covert military or intelligence operation. His determination makes him an obstacle targeted for suspension and possible elimination.
René is a professional artist and art teacher who becomes the primary suspect after being known as the last person to see the murdered girl alive. Although the investigation lacks hard evidence, the townspeople treat him as the killer, destroying his life and placing severe pressure on his marriage to Vivianne.
Commander Delcour oversees the police effort to identify and locate those responsible for Ilan’s kidnapping. He is involved in the investigation as officers follow calls and possible accomplices, and the police urge the Halimi family to remain discreet because publicity could put Ilan in greater danger. He represents the official response to the family’s crisis.
Parisian man involved in the sisters' adult lives and social circles.
A protagonist who works for the Office of Epizootic Diseases and feels alienated by his common name. His relationship with Bahia challenges his views on identity, politics, memory, family history, and intimacy. He becomes increasingly preoccupied with his family's connection to deportation, war crimes, and the Holocaust.
Father and former Ironman athlete who initially avoids responsibility for his disabled son and rejects his proposal to race together. Struggling with job loss and aging, he eventually relents, trains, and pushes or drags Julien through the race despite collapsing during the marathon leg, ultimately finishing together through determination.
The central character, Jacques returns to Algeria in 1957 and visits his father's grave, where learning his father's age deepens his sense of loss. Facing hostility and warnings about his mother's safety, he still seeks her and revisits his childhood. He also reconnects with Hamoud, tries to help Aziz, and considers writing about his family.
Joseph is a withdrawn postal employee whose long rural rounds leave him alone with grief after his wife's funeral. After discovering a stone that nearly injures him, he spends years building an immense palace from stones, lime, water, and metal. The project is devoted to his daughter Alice, while Philomène becomes his companion and emotional support.
Pierre Cassini is a member of The Impromptu Company, performing unscripted scenes alongside Alice Cohen and Karim Coutard. He helps transform audience suggestions into comic situations, including the refrigerator routine, and later struggles with the wedding assignment. His arguments with the troupe reveal the pressure between artistic improvisation and professional obligations.
Jacques Gamblin has 84 screen credits in a career dating back to 1985. Their work is anchored in the Heaven, Hell and Purgatory Collection universe with 1 titles. Signature works include Un Nouveau Regard, Blind Man, The First Day of the Rest of Your Life. Explore the interactive character relationship maps on each title page to trace how their roles connect across franchises.
Related entry on Wikidata (Q1352534), public domain (CC0).
