La Veuve de Saint Pierre has an all-star cast studied with Juliette Binoche and Daniel Auteuil and is directed by Patrice Leconte. It tells the story of a drunken sailor convicted of a senseless murder on the remote Cod de Saint Pierre islands. The murderer Ariel Neel Auguste is sentenced to death by guillotine. However, on the remote island there is no guillotine or executioner, so his execution is delayed. The murderer attracts the sympathy of the beautiful Madame La (Juilliete Binoche). Madame La is the wife of the Captain of the island. She provides him with sympathetic understanding and treatment born of her idealistic belief that even the most wicked can change.

(It’s a bit puzzling why Madama La gets so attached to the killer from the start.) However, her devoted husband played by Daniel Auteuil allows his wife complete freedom to do whatever she wants with regard to the prisoner. As time goes by, it seems that Madama La’s faith is well rewarded. The prisoner becomes popular with the islanders, marries a woman, and appears to be genuinely decent. It is based on a true story, although one feels that certain liberties have been taken. When presented with the opportunity to escape, he refuses, not wanting to get his kind protectors into trouble.

However, the island’s mayor is dismayed to see the law blurring and wishes to keep the execution. No one on the island wants to be involved in the execution, so they have to get someone from the outside to do the dirty work. By the end, you start to warm to the convicted murderer, which is certainly a strong argument against capital punishment and also illustrates the power of retribution.

The film is set in the remote French outpost, St Pierre. It’s not exactly beautiful, but director Patrice Leconte manages to create a lively piece about an unusual story. To some degree, he too can feel the plot becoming a bit one dimensional. It’s not trying to be something it’s not though, it’s not aiming for greatness, but it’s something a little different with a thought-provoking storyline and it’s easy enough to watch.