Character Relationship Map: Bastards

Characters

• Marco Silvestri (played by Vincent Lindon) — protagonist

  Marco Silvestri is an oil-tanker captain who abandons his job to support his sister Sandra after her husband's suicide. He investigates the abuse of Sandra's daughter, confronts Edouard Laporte, sells...

• Raphaëlle (played by Chiara Mastroianni) — protagonist

  Raphaëlle is Edouard Laporte's younger wife and the mother of their young son. After Marco helps the child, she begins an affair with Marco, but Laporte separates her from her son and blames Marco's f...

• Sandra (played by Julie Bataille) — supporting

  Sandra is Marco's sister, Jacques's widow, and the mother of Justine. She asks Marco to return after the suicide, struggles to save the family's failing shoe business, and blames Edouard Laporte for e...

• Edouard Laporte (played by Michel Subor) — supporting

  Edouard Laporte is a wealthy businessman and an off-the-books major creditor of Sandra and Jacques's shoe company. Sandra believes he contributed to Jacques's death and exploited Justine. Laporte has...

• Justine (played by Lola Créton) — supporting

  Justine is Sandra's daughter, who has a history of drug and alcohol abuse and self-harm. After being sexually abused and tortured at a party involving Laporte and Jacques, she repeatedly escapes the h...

• Joseph (played by Yann Antoine Bizette) — minor
• Jacques (played by Laurent Grévill) — minor

  Jacques is Sandra's husband, Marco's best friend, and the co-owner of the inherited women's shoe business. After the company faces bankruptcy, he commits suicide. A later video reveals his participati...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Raphaëlle → Joseph (Family Mother) — Her attachment to Joseph is immediate and emotional, especially after Laporte takes him away.

  Raphaëlle embraces Joseph warmly when he returns to the apartment.

• Edouard Laporte → Joseph (Family Father) — Laporte exercises control over Joseph's location and future after separating him from Raphaëlle.

  Laporte takes Joseph after leaving Raphaëlle and later says Joseph has been enrolled in a new school in Switzerland.

• Edouard Laporte → Raphaëlle (Family Husband) — Their marriage is controlled by Laporte's decision to leave and take Joseph away.

  Raphaëlle is Laporte's younger wife, and Laporte leaves her after discovering her affair with Marco.

• Jacques → Justine (Family Father) — Their father-daughter relationship is revealed as profoundly abusive and central to the film's final revelation.

  The final video shows Jacques undressing and molesting Justine at a sex party.

• Sandra → Justine (Family Mother) — Sandra is protective of Justine but also carries guilt over allowing her daughter to be used at Laporte's parties.

  Sandra lives in Paris with her daughter Justine and later searches for Justine after her hospital escape.

• Sandra → Jacques (Family Spouse) — Their marriage is linked to the failing family business and the crisis surrounding Jacques's death.

  Sandra is married to Jacques, who commits suicide after their business faces bankruptcy.

• Marco Silvestri → Sandra (Family Sibling) — Their strained sibling bond becomes central after Jacques's suicide and the family's financial and personal crisis.

  Sandra is Marco's sister, and both inherited their father's women's shoe manufacturing business.

• Marco Silvestri → Raphaëlle (Romantic Lovers) — Their affair intensifies Marco's personal conflict with Laporte and contributes to Joseph's removal.

  Marco begins an affair with Laporte's younger wife, Raphaëlle, after helping her young son change a bike tire.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Edouard Laporte → Justine (Conflict Sexual Exploiter) — Laporte is implicated in the exploitation surrounding Justine and the events that drive Marco's investigation.

  The video records Laporte watching a sex party involving Justine, Jacques, and a prostitute; Sandra also blames him for using Justine as a sexual obje...

• Sandra → Edouard Laporte (Conflict Accuser) — Sandra sees Laporte as responsible for both the financial collapse and her daughter's exploitation.

  Sandra blames Laporte, an off-the-books major creditor, for Jacques's death and for using Justine as a sexual object.

• Marco Silvestri → Edouard Laporte (Conflict Adversary) — Laporte becomes the main target of Marco's anger and attempted retaliation.

  Sandra blames Laporte for Jacques's death, and Marco attempts to ambush him after investigating the sex parties.

• Marco Silvestri → Jacques (Social Best Friend) — Marco's loyalty to Jacques is shattered by the evidence of Jacques's abuse of Justine.

  Sandra is married to Marco's best friend, Jacques.

Story Analysis

A family crisis expands into a violent search for truth as financial ruin, sexual exploitation, betrayal, and guilt converge.

Plot Progression

1. A Family Pulled Apart — Marco returns to Paris after Jacques's suicide and discovers that the inherited shoe business is facing bankruptcy. Justine's hospitalization reveals a deeper family crisis.
2. Hunting the Creditor — Sandra identifies Laporte as the force behind the family's ruin and Justine's exploitation. Marco moves near Laporte, receives a handgun, and begins pursuing clues.
3. Escapes and Evidence — Justine repeatedly escapes care while Marco investigates the farm building and internet images. The evidence implicates Laporte and Jacques and fractures Marco's trust in Sandra.
4. Love Becomes Leverage — Marco's affair with Raphaëlle causes Laporte to take Joseph away. Raphaëlle returns furious, while Justine remains on the road with Xavier and Elysée.
5. The Final Recording — A crash leaves Justine, Xavier, and Elysée incapacitated, and Laporte returns for Joseph. Raphaëlle kills Marco before the final video exposes Jacques's abuse of Justine.