Submission (1976) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

A domestic affair becomes a coercive struggle over authority, humiliation, secrecy, and public judgment.

Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases

A Household Under Pressure

The Michoud household is introduced through work, money, domestic discipline, and resentment. Henri's artistic disappointment contrasts with Eliane's practical authority.

Key Events

• Michoud Household Routine — Daily domestic life is organized around work, money, discipline, and simmering resentment. Characters: Eliane Michoud, Professor Henri Michoud, Justine Michoud Location: Michoud household
• Henri Defends Beauty — Henri studies decorative glass and laments that people have lost interest in beauty. Characters: Professor Henri Michoud Location: Michoud household
• Justine Gets Corrected — Justine is reminded to finish her homework and turn off the lights. Characters: Eliane Michoud, Justine Michoud Location: Michoud household
• Pharmacy Authority — Eliane manages the pharmacy and expects Armand, her clerk, to follow instructions. Characters: Eliane Michoud, Armand Location: Pharmacy
• Armand's Uncertain Future — Armand's future is uncertain because of military obligations and his sick mother. Characters: Armand Location: Pharmacy

Desire Enters the Pharmacy

Armand's uncertain future and position as Eliane's clerk frame his approach to her. Their affair develops inside an already unstable marriage and workplace hierarchy.

Key Events

• Juliette's Domestic Strain — Juliette's noisy motorcycle and jealous marriage threaten her employment and peace of mind. Characters: Juliette Location: Michoud household
• Carmen Rejects Errands — Carmen complains that her nursing qualifications are wasted on errands. Characters: Carmen, Eliane Michoud Location: Michoud household
• Carmen and Charles Clash — Carmen's conversation reveals friction surrounding her marriage to Charles. Characters: Carmen, Charles Location: Michoud household
• Armand Approaches Eliane — Armand's approach to Eliane begins the affair that destabilizes her domestic and professional life. Characters: Eliane Michoud, Armand Location: Pharmacy
• The Affair Develops — Eliane and Armand's affair develops while their employer-clerk relationship remains in place. Characters: Eliane Michoud, Armand Location: Pharmacy

Humiliation and Control

Eliane catches Armand with Juliette, and his threats turn the affair into a struggle over scandal and authority. Juliette is subjected to degrading tasks before demanding that the coercion stop.

Key Events

• Caught with Juliette — Eliane catches Armand with Juliette, turning the affair into an immediate struggle over scandal and authority. Characters: Eliane Michoud, Armand, Juliette Location: Michoud household
• Armand Threatens Exposure — Armand argues that Eliane cannot dismiss them without exposing herself to scandal. Characters: Eliane Michoud, Armand Location: Michoud household
• Juliette's Humiliating Game — Armand makes Juliette perform degrading tasks in a coercive game rooted in old resentment. Characters: Armand, Juliette Location: Michoud household
• Juliette Demands An End — Juliette recognizes the humiliation and eventually asks Armand to stop. Characters: Armand, Juliette Location: Michoud household
• Threat Against Justine — Armand warns that he may come for Justine when she least expects it. Characters: Armand, Eliane Michoud, Justine Michoud Location: Michoud household

Public Judgment and Private Secrets

Armand's threat against Justine intensifies Eliane's fear, while neighbors debate a police protest about alleged indecency. The final gathering shifts attention toward Henri's forgotten literary past.

Key Events

• Threat Against Justine — Armand warns that he may come for Justine when she least expects it. Characters: Armand, Eliane Michoud, Justine Michoud Location: Michoud household
• Eliane Reassures Justine — Eliane tries to reassure Justine while containing the crisis and hiding troubling events from Henri. Characters: Eliane Michoud, Justine Michoud Location: Michoud household
• Neighbors Debate Protest — Neighbors debate signing a police protest about a woman they believe behaves indecently in the street. Characters: Eliane Michoud, Silvane Location: Neighborhood
• Eliane Avoids Judgment — Eliane is drawn into the neighbors' discussion but avoids taking a firm position. Characters: Eliane Michoud Location: Neighborhood
• Henri's Literary Past — Silvane reveals that Henri once published several literary works, surprising the gathering. Characters: Professor Henri Michoud, Silvane, Eliane Michoud Location: Gathering
• Books Remain Unread — Henri admits the works were unsuccessful and that copies remain in the basement, leaving conflicts unresolved. Characters: Professor Henri Michoud, Silvane, Eliane Michoud Location: Basement

Story Breakdown

• Household Foundations — The Michoud home is defined by routine, work, money, and dissatisfaction.
  • Daily Domestic Rules — Eliane directs Justine's homework and household behavior.
  • Henri's Lost Art — Henri studies decorative glass while lamenting the decline of beauty.
• Workplace Resentments — The pharmacy and household reveal unequal authority and frustrated ambitions.
  • Armand's Uncertainty — Military obligations and his sick mother make Armand's future unstable.
  • Carmen's Frustration — Carmen resents being limited to errands despite nursing qualifications.
• The Affair Begins — Armand's approach transforms a professional relationship into a dangerous affair.
  • Clerk Approaches Employer — Armand initiates the relationship with Eliane.
  • Passion Meets Marriage — The affair develops against Eliane's marriage to Henri.
• Scandal and Power — Discovery and threats convert private desire into a battle for control.
  • Caught With Juliette — Eliane catches Armand with Juliette and confronts the resulting scandal.
  • Threatened Authority — Armand warns that dismissal could expose Eliane.
• Humiliation Escalates — Armand extends coercion to Juliette and then threatens Eliane through Justine.
  • Juliette's Degrading Game — Armand forces Juliette into humiliating tasks.
  • Justine Targeted — Armand threatens to come for Justine unexpectedly.
• Public and Private Secrets — The closing discussions broaden the story from household coercion to public morality and hidden identity.
  • Police Protest Debate — Neighbors discuss a signed protest over alleged indecent behavior.
  • Basement Books — Silvane reveals Henri's failed literary past and the books remaining in the basement.

Directed by

Salvatore Samperi

Key Cast

• Lisa Gastoni — Eliane Michoud
• Franco Nero — Armand
• Raymond Pellegrin — Professor Henri Michoud
• Andréa Ferréol — Juliette
• Claudia Marsani — Justine Michoud