Pickpocket (1959)

Robert Bresson’s hugely influential study of a petty thief in late 1950s Paris is one of his most widely acclaimed films.

Uncomplainingly jobless in late-50s Paris, Michel starts stealing from strangers, for reasons unclear even to himself. He spouts vague theories about exceptional individuals being above the law – but is he lost in another world, as Jeanne, a young woman he halfheartedly befriends, tells him?

Intentionally not a thriller but certainly not without suspense, Robert Bresson’s film is profoundly ambivalent about Michel’s ethics, sexuality (he seems aroused by his thefts), his capacity for compassion and his courtship of suspicion in others. His isolation, however, is undeniable. A riveting morality tale reminiscent of both Hitchcock and Dostoevsky, it’s imbued with the director’s distinctive rigour.

1959 France
Directed by
Robert Bresson
Produced by
Agnès Delahaie
Written by
Robert Bresson
Featuring
Martín Lasalle, Marika Green, Jean Pelegri
Running time
75 minutes

Ranked in The Greatest Films of All Time poll

Sight and Sound

Who voted for Pickpocket

Critics

Omar Ahmed
UK
Joana Ascensão
Portugal
Hicham Awad
Lebanon/USA
Janet Baris
Turkey
Adam Batty
UK
Manon Billaut
France
Giulio Casadei
Italy
Pierre Gabaston
France
Antonio Gonçalves Jr
Brazil
Ed Gonzalez
USA
Brian Hu
USA
Esin Küçüktepepınar
Turkey
Sarah Lutton
UK
Nasreen Munni Kabir
UK
Óscar Oliva
Spain
Nicolas Rapold
USA
Zunzunegui Santos
Spain
John Semley
Canada
Richard I Suchenski
USA
Can Sungu
Turkey/Germany
Lou Thomas
UK

Directors

Ray Argall
Australia
Bertrand Bonello
Denis Coté
Canada
Andreas Fontana
Switzerland
Adoor Gopalakrishnan
India
Laszlo Nemes
Hungary
Asli Özge
Turkey
Paul Schrader
US
Tilda Swinton
UK

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