I was bored and perplexed by this one. In 1850 on the island of Saint-Pierre, a fisherman slaughters a man for no good reason and is sentenced to death. He is supposed to be guillotined, but there is no guillotine on the island. While they are waiting for the machine to be shipped in, literally, the prisoner is put under the care of the French Captain assigned to the island, played by Daniel Auteuil. The Captain and his wife, played by Juliette Binoche, take the prisoner under their wing. This is primarily Madame la Capitane's doing, and soon the condemned is fixing roofs and doing other good works on the island. He fathers a baby and gets married. By acting responsibly he become responsible. Pretty soon the islanders want him spared. It doesn't end well.
What I found perplexing was the relationship between the Captain and his wife. They adore each other, but there is some odd intensity there that I didn't understand, revolving around the Captain's pride in his wife and his need to defend her and be her protector. If anyone understands, let me know.
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