Betty Blue

Betty Blue is a French drama about Zorg, a handyman and would-be novelist working at a seaside holiday settlement in the south of France. His quiet routine ends when Betty, a young woman who is beautiful and unpredictable, arrives with her luggage and moves in with him. She reads his handwritten manuscript, types it up and sends it to publishers, and when the rejections come, her behaviour grows steadily more erratic. Her outbursts cost Zorg his job, and her instability eventually becomes open madness, while he tries to hold the relationship together and get his writing published. The story moves toward a tragic outcome.

The film was released in 1986 and runs 120 minutes. Jean-Jacques Beineix directed, wrote the screenplay and produced it, following his 1981 debut Diva as the second of the two features listed for him. Jean-Hugues Anglade plays Zorg and Béatrice Dalle plays Betty, with Gérard Darmon, Consuelo De Haviland, Clémentine Célarié and Jacques Mathou in supporting roles across a credited cast of 26. It was made in France by Gaumont, CNC, Constellation Productions and Cargo Films.

On IMDb it holds a rating of 7.3 from 22,924 votes, and on TMDB 7.2 from 481 votes, indicating a solid, widely shared appreciation. A critics' rating of 6.6 from 27 reviews places critical opinion somewhat below the audience scores. The worldwide box office of 2 million dollars is modest.