Plot Analysis Summary
The film follows five women whose social pressures and search for escape lead to robbery, fractured solidarity, and unresolved legal judgment.
Story Structure — 4 Plot Phases
Lives Before Rebellion
The five women are introduced through family pressures, childcare, money problems, strained relationships, and frustration with their surroundings. Their dissatisfaction gradually points toward collective escape.
Key Events
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Amazon Gang Recalled — The film recalls how five young women were labeled the Amazon Gang in 1991. Characters: Katy, Hélène, Laurence, Carole, Malika
Location: Press coverage
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Family Pressures Surface — The women face strained relationships, childcare burdens, money problems, and social pressure. Characters: Katy, Laurence, Carole
Location: Family homes
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Katy Faces Tension — Katy is shown in tense encounters before the robberies begin. Characters: Katy
Location: Unspecified surroundings
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Laurence Handles Domestic Strain — Laurence struggles with domestic responsibilities while the group considers escape. Characters: Laurence
Location: Family home
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Carole Rejects Gossip — Carole grows tired of gossip and concern about the people around her. Characters: Carole
Location: Local surroundings
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Group Forms Plan — The women move from personal frustration toward collective action. Characters: Katy, Hélène, Laurence, Carole, Malika
Location: Unspecified meeting place
Robbery and Fracture
The group carries out an armed bank robbery and celebrates an estimated haul of 116,000 francs. Internal resentment soon surfaces when Malika accuses another woman of selfishness and endangering the group.
Key Events
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Group Forms Plan — The women move from personal frustration toward collective action. Characters: Katy, Hélène, Laurence, Carole, Malika
Location: Unspecified meeting place
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Armed Bank Robbery — The group carries out an armed bank robbery. Characters: Katy, Hélène, Laurence, Carole, Malika
Location: Bank
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Champagne Celebration — The women celebrate an estimated haul of 116,000 francs and discuss traveling far away. Characters: Katy, Hélène, Laurence, Carole, Malika
Location: Celebration setting
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Malika Accuses Selfishness — Malika accuses another woman of selfishness and putting the group at risk. Characters: Malika, Katy, Hélène, Laurence, Carole
Location: Celebration setting
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Solidarity Fractures — The argument reveals resentment over being left alone during a violent confrontation. Characters: Katy, Hélène, Laurence, Carole, Malika
Location: Celebration setting
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Money Is Divided — The women divide the robbery money despite their growing resentment. Characters: Katy, Hélène, Laurence, Carole, Malika
Location: Private meeting place
The Investigation Closes
News reports identify the Amazon Gang, while police connect Hélène to a gray Renault 5 and search her home. The women separate, and Hélène considers staying with a cousin in Corsica.
Key Events
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Money Is Divided — The women divide the robbery money despite their growing resentment. Characters: Katy, Hélène, Laurence, Carole, Malika
Location: Private meeting place
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Press Names The Gang — News reports link the repeated attacks to the so-called Amazon Gang. Characters: Katy, Hélène, Laurence, Carole, Malika
Location: News reports
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Police Search Hélène — Police search Hélène's home and connect her to a gray Renault 5 seen fleeing a robbery. Characters: Hélène
Location: Hélène's home
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Hélène Defends Her Alibi — Hélène denies involvement and maintains that she was at a bar with her alibi witness. Characters: Hélène
Location: Police questioning room
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Women Separate — The women decide to separate so they will not be seen together. Characters: Katy, Hélène, Laurence, Carole, Malika
Location: Unspecified meeting place
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Corsica Escape Plan — Hélène plans to stay with a cousin in Corsica. Characters: Hélène
Location: Travel planning setting
Prison and Judgment
Hélène is imprisoned and receives competing legal interpretations of her actions. The trial contrasts a poverty-based defense with prosecution claims that the women were dangerous organized criminals.
Key Events
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Corsica Escape Plan — Hélène plans to stay with a cousin in Corsica. Characters: Hélène
Location: Travel planning setting
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Financial Ruin Revealed — A year later, Hélène reunites with a relative financially ruined after trusting a bankrupt businessman. Characters: Hélène
Location: Family meeting place
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Hélène Enters Prison — Hélène is eventually held in prison as the case proceeds. Characters: Hélène
Location: Prison
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Defense Reframes Hélène — Her lawyer presents poverty and motherhood as motives for providing for her children. Characters: Hélène
Location: Courtroom
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Prosecution Rejects Heroism — The prosecution depicts the women as dangerous organized criminals rather than heroines. Characters: Hélène, Malika
Location: Courtroom
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Bank Employees Testify — Bank employees describe threats, weapons, and lasting psychological trauma. Characters: Hélène, Malika
Location: Courtroom
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Malika's Role Examined — The court examines Malika's alleged role in helping her sister enter a bank. Characters: Hélène, Malika
Location: Courtroom
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Case Remains Unresolved — The supplied account ends while the proceedings remain unresolved. Characters: Hélène, Malika
Location: Courtroom