Nathalie Nell in the Night Assault and Hospital Scenes from L’amour violé (1978)

Nathalie Nell stars as Nicole in “L’amour violé” (1978), the French drama directed by Yannick Bellon and released in English as “Rape of Love”. The film follows a nurse in Grenoble whose life is upended after an attack by a group of men on a dark roadside one night, and it is remembered as one of the first French films to treat sexual violence seriously from the victim’s point of view. This scene covers the assault itself, shot at night beside a parked car, and the hours that follow. Nicole is then seen in a hospital bed, bruised and exhausted, and later alone in a bath as she tries to process what has happened. Nathalie Nell appears nude in the aftermath scenes, which the film uses to show her shock and vulnerability rather than for titillation. The story goes on to follow her decision to report the men and take them to court, and the hostility she meets from police, family and neighbours along the way. A difficult but important piece of late seventies French cinema, anchored by a committed central performance.

⚑ Report this video