8 Women

As the festive atmosphere settles over the grand estate, like snowflakes gently falling on a winter's night, the residents of this 1950s country mansion begin their preparations for Christmas. The atmosphere is filled with warmth and anticipation as the family - including Suzon (her return from school marking the start of her holiday break) - and their loyal servants, Madame Chanel and Louise, busily ready the house for the season's most joyous celebration. However, amidst the hustle and bustle, a sense of unease settles over the group when Marcel, the patriarch of the family, is discovered lifeless in his bed, a dagger plunged into his back. The sudden and shocking turn of events sends shockwaves throughout the household, leaving all eight women - including Gaby (Suzon's mother), Catherine (her younger sister), Mamy (their wheelchair-bound grandmother), and Aunt Augustine - to grapple with the gravity of their situation.

As Suzon returns from school, she finds her family and their servants gathered in the living room, where most of the film's action will unfold. The conversation flows easily among them, touching on the subject of Marcel, until Catherine breaks into song, leading the first musical number of the film with "Papa t'es plus dans le coup" (or "Dad, You're Out of Touch"). This sudden outburst awakens Augustine, who joins in with her own singing voice and begins to stir up tension among the group. Her arguments with the rest of the family and servants eventually escalate, culminating in a threat to take her own life. Mamy springs into action, leaping from her wheelchair in an attempt to stop Augustine, explaining her sudden mobility as a "Christmas miracle." As the situation calms down, Augustine's song of longing, "Message personnel" (or "Personal Message"), serves as a poignant reminder of the complexities and emotions that lie beneath the surface of this seemingly idyllic family.

As the maid ascends to the upper floors, she is met with a gruesome discovery: Marcel's lifeless body, his back bearing the cruel mark of a stab wound. The news sends Catherine racing up the stairs, where she locks the door to preserve the scene. It isn't until the others converge on the room that the true extent of Marcel's brutal demise becomes clear. With the authorities seemingly unreachable due to the severed telephone line, the women are left to navigate this treacherous landscape alone.

As they struggle to come to terms with the unthinkable, a sudden commotion erupts outside: the guard dogs, usually vigilant and responsive, remain strangely silent in the face of an unseen intruder. The mystery is resolved when Pierrette, Marcel's sister and notorious nightclub singer-prostitute, appears in the garden, her presence marked by a haunting rendition of "A quoi sert de vivre libre" (What's the Point of Living Free?). Her enigmatic claim that she received a cryptic phone call warning her of Marcel's death only serves to further entangle her in the web of suspicion.

The revelation that Pierrette has prior knowledge of the house and its layout, coupled with her unflinching familiarity with Marcel's room, raises the stakes: she is now the eighth potential killer. As the storm rages on outside, the women find themselves trapped, their only hope for rescue or escape rendered futile by the sabotaged car.

As they await the tempest's passing, the group dedicates itself to uncovering the truth behind Marcel's murder. In a stunning twist, Suzon reveals that she had visited her father the previous night, confessing her pregnancy and sharing a poignant duet with Catherine, "Mon amour, mon ami" (My Lover, My Friend). However, this tender moment belies a dark reality: Suzon is not Marcel's child, but rather the product of Gaby's first great love, brutally taken from her at a young age. Each glance Gaby casts upon Suzon serves as a poignant reminder of her lost love, further complicating the already labyrinthine web of relationships and secrets within their midst.

As the evening unfolds, Madame Chanel's motives come under scrutiny, her enigmatic actions from the previous night now seeming shrouded in mystery. The truth begins to unravel, revealing that she had been embroiled in a clandestine affair with Pierrette, whose desperation for financial relief led her to seek assistance from her brother. Meanwhile, the family's ire is piqued by Pierrette's confession of lesbianism, prompting Madame Chanel to retreat to the kitchen, where she pours out her heart in a poignant rendition of "Pour ne pas vivre seul".

The spotlight then shifts to Mamy, Suzon and Catherine's frail yet cunning grandmother, whose seemingly feeble condition belies a shrewdness that has been hiding valuable stock shares from prying eyes. With Marcel on the brink of financial ruin, Mamy's deception about her stolen shares sets in motion a chain reaction of events. Gaby confides in Augustine that their mother was murdered by Mamy, an accusation that sparks Augustine's wrath and prompts her to imprison her sister in a cupboard.

As tensions simmer, Louise, the newcomer to the household, is revealed to be Marcel's mistress. With a mix of affection for Gaby and disappointment in her weakness, Louise shares her own secrets with Augustine, who listens with rapt attention as she learns about seduction. As a symbol of her newfound independence, Louise casts off her maid's attire, serenading the entranced Augustine with "Pile ou face", a poignant reflection on life's twists and turns.

The spotlight next falls on Gaby, whose melancholy tune "Toi Jamais" reveals her long-held feelings for Marcel, which have been consistently unrequited. It is revealed that she has had an affair with Jacques Farneaux, Marcel's business partner and the same man who is having a clandestine relationship with Pierrette. The ensuing confrontation between Gaby and Pierrette devolves into a passionate embrace, leaving the other family members stunned by their unveiled desire.

As Madame Chanel's astute mind finally unravels the tangled threads of deceit, a sudden gunshot silences her, leaving her bereft of speech. Though the bullet misses its mark, the trauma proves too great, and she is rendered mute by the sheer shock of it all. In Madame Chanel's stead, Catherine takes charge, revealing that she had been hiding in her father's closet, witnessing the clandestine conversations between the other women and Marcel the night prior. With a newfound sense of conviction, Catherine lays bare the truth: Marcel, with her unwitting assistance, staged his own demise to uncover the machinations lurking beneath the surface of his household. The revelation is both liberating and devastating, as Catherine hastens to Marcel's bedside only to behold him take his own life in a tragic, self-inflicted conclusion. As the curtain falls on this poignant tale, Mamy brings the narrative full circle with a haunting rendition of "Il n'y a pas d'amour heureux" ("There is No Happy Love"), as the women, now freed from their emotional shackles, come together in a poignant display of solidarity, their hands clasped in a gesture that speaks volumes about the enduring power of sisterhood.