Character Relationship Map: The Colonel

Characters

• Le colonel Raoul Duplan (played by Olivier Gourmet) — protagonist

  A retired colonel who is shot in his home in 1993, prompting an investigation by Galois. During the Algerian war, he commanded Guy Rossi and used brutal methods, including torture and executions. He l...

• Le lieutenant Guy Rossi (played by Robinson Stévenin) — supporting

  A lieutenant who served under Duplan during the Algerian war and disappeared in 1957. Through diary pages sent to Galois, he recounts his conflicted relationship with Duplan, his witnessing of torture...

• Le lieutenant Galois (played by Cécile de France) — supporting

  A young army officer brought in to help investigate the shooting of Duplan. She receives and reads diary pages written by Guy Rossi, which reveal the past events behind the case, and interviews Rossi'...

• le père Rossi (played by Charles Aznavour) — supporting

  Guy Rossi's father, who is revealed to have sent the diary pages to Galois after Duplan appeared on television. When Galois confronts him, he admits that he killed Duplan because the colonel showed no...

Canonical Relationships

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

• le père Rossi → Le lieutenant Guy Rossi (Family Father) — Guy's father preserves and sends the diary, connecting his son's wartime experience to the 1993 investigation.

  The plot identifies le père Rossi as Guy Rossi's father. The diary was originally intended to reach him.

Story Dynamics

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

• le père Rossi → Le colonel Raoul Duplan (Conflict Murderer And Victim) — The father's response to Duplan's lack of remorse turns the old wartime conflict into the fatal event that prompts Galois's investigation.

  Rossi's father admits to killing Duplan because Duplan showed no remorse for Guy's death and called him a traitor.

• Le lieutenant Galois → le père Rossi (Narrative Interrogator And Confessor) — Their interview reveals the father's role in both the diary's delivery and Duplan's death; Galois cannot arrest him because she lacks the authority.

  Galois confronts Rossi's father, who admits that he sent the diary and killed Duplan.

• Le lieutenant Galois → Le lieutenant Guy Rossi (Narrative Investigator And Diary Subject) — Although Rossi is absent from the 1993 investigation, his diary guides Galois toward the history behind the shooting.

  Galois receives and reads diary pages written by Rossi, which describe his service under Duplan and his disappearance.

• Le lieutenant Galois → Le colonel Raoul Duplan (Narrative Investigator And Subject) — Galois investigates the attack on Duplan, using the diary pages to uncover the wartime history connected to the case.

  Galois is brought in to help investigate the shooting of Duplan in his home.

• Le colonel Raoul Duplan → Le lieutenant Guy Rossi (Conflict Abusive Commander And Subordinate) — Their command relationship becomes a source of moral conflict for Rossi, who rejects Duplan's methods and disobeys his order.

  Rossi served under Duplan in Algeria, where Duplan used brutal methods, including torture and executions. Duplan ordered Rossi to command a firing squ...

Story Analysis

A 1993 investigation uncovers a wartime history of brutality, disobedience, and a father's reckoning with his son's death.

Plot Progression

1. A Shooting Reopens the Past — Duplan is shot at home in 1993, and Galois joins the investigation. Diary pages begin connecting the case to Rossi's service under Duplan.
2. Rossi's Wartime Conscience — Rossi's diary describes torture, public executions, and his disgust with the brutality used in the name of peace. His accidental disclosure may have contributed to the murder of a shopkeeper aiding th...
3. Disobedience and Disappearance — Duplan orders Rossi to command a firing squad, but Rossi resolves to disobey. Fearing for his life, he leaves the diary with a friend to be delivered to his father before disappearing in 1957.
4. The Diary Finds Its Recipient — The diary continues to guide Galois through Rossi's account. After Duplan appears on television, Rossi's father finally sends the pages onward and Galois confronts him.
5. A Confession Without Arrest — Rossi's father admits sending the diary and killing Duplan because the colonel showed no remorse and called his son a traitor. Galois cannot arrest him, and her choice on the drive back leaves her res...