Character Relationship Map: The Bathers

Characters

• Lebel (played by Jean-Pierre Kalfon) — protagonist

  Lebel arrives at the club searching for a blonde woman's stolen photograph and questions the staff about Nana and missing portraits. He first claims to be a police officer, then says he is Nana's fath...

• Nana (played by Ann-Gisel Glass) — supporting

  Nana is one of the club's principal performers, known for her shower and incest routines. Exhausted by the work, she dreams of escape and another life. When Lebel claims to be her father and asks her...

• Rita (played by Nadège Beausson-Diagne) — supporting

  Rita is a club worker trying to perform while caring for her sister's baby. Her attempt to bring the child into the club leads to a furious confrontation with management, and she is dismissed. Her sit...

• Kim (played by Carolkim Tran) — supporting

  Kim is a performer associated with the club, where she tries to survive the same exploitative system as the other women. She hopes to earn enough money to support a household and pay off debts, linkin...

• Rita's sister (played by Aïssa Maïga) — supporting

  Rita's sister is identified as the mother of the baby Rita cares for while working at the club. The child becomes central to Rita's conflict with management when she attempts to bring the baby inside,...

• Fame (played by Laurence Gormezano) — supporting

  Fame controls the club's workers and treats each performance as a business transaction. She warns that videotapes and prepaid cards are replacing live women, and management confronts Rita when she bri...

• Justine (played by Charlie Bazire) — supporting

  Justine is a young newcomer pushed onto the club's stage. Staff coach her to undress before the customers despite her fear and inexperience. Her arrival exposes how the club brings new performers into...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Rita's sister → Rita (sister)
• Fame → Justine (Professional Manager And New Performer) — Justine's fearful introduction to performing takes place within the club's system of control.

  Fame controls the club's workers, and Justine, a young newcomer, is pushed onto the stage and coached to undress before customers.

• Fame → Kim (Professional Manager And Performer) — Kim tries to earn enough to support a household and pay debts while working within the club Fame controls.

  Fame controls the women working at the club, and Kim is a performer associated with it.

• Fame → Nana (Professional Manager And Performer) — Nana performs routines for the club under the system Fame manages.

  Fame controls the women who perform at the club, and Nana is one of its principal performers.

• Fame → Rita (Professional Manager And Worker) — Fame's control over the club's workers culminates in Rita's dismissal.

  The workers are controlled by Fame, and Rita is eventually dismissed after bringing her sister's baby into the club.

• Lebel → Nana (Family Claimed Father) — Lebel seeks to take Nana away as her father, but she refuses to leave the club and her debts and responsibilities.

  Lebel insists that he is Nana's father and describes memories of her childhood, including a carousel. Nana remembers almost nothing and resists his at...

Story Analysis

The film portrays a club that turns the workers' financial hardship, vulnerability, and emotional conflicts into entertainment.

Plot Progression

1. Work Under the Club's Control — The club sells live performances under Fame's management while customers grow impatient. Rita struggles to care for her sister's baby, and her attempt to bring the child inside ends in dismissal.
2. Performers Seeking a Way Out — Nana's exhaustion and dreams of escape contrast with the routines she performs. Kim works to support a household and pay debts, while Justine is pushed into performing despite her fear.
3. Lebel's Claim and Nana's Refusal — Lebel arrives seeking a photograph, questions the staff, and claims first to be a police officer and then Nana's father. His childhood memories do not persuade Nana to leave; she says she cannot aband...
4. The Final Public Spectacle — The Tramp is refused entry but continues pleading outside, convinced he has found the woman he loves. Inside, the club's conflicts and exploitation culminate in a broken-mirror spectacle that the staf...