The Closet (2001 film)
| The Closet (Le Placard) | |
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French film poster
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| Directed by | Francis Veber |
| Produced by | Patrice Ledoux |
| Written by | Francis Veber |
| Starring |
Daniel Auteuil Gérard Depardieu Michel Aumont Michèle Laroque |
| Music by | Vladimir Cosma |
| Cinematography | Luciano Tovoli |
| Edited by | Georges Klotz |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films |
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Release date
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Running time
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84 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | $14.5 million |
| Box office | $50.1 million |
The Closet (French: Le placard) is a 2001 French comedy film written and directed by Francis Veber. It is about a man who pretends to be homosexual to keep his job, with absurd and unexpected consequences.
François Pignon, an unassuming divorced man with a teenage son who ignores him, lives a quiet and unremarkable life. When he learns he will be fired from his job as an accountant in a rubber factory, he contemplates suicide, but his new neighbor Jean-Pierre Belone, a former industrial psychologist, dissuades him from jumping from his balcony and suggests a way to keep his position. Belone proposes that Pignon start a rumor he is homosexual by inserting his image in sexually provocative snapshots of a gay couple in a bar and anonymously mailing them to his boss, Mr. Kopel. The factory's primary product is condoms, so the gay community's support is essential, and Kopel will have to keep Pignon on the payroll to avoid charges of anti-homosexual bigotry.
Pignon does not change his usual mild and self-effacing behavior and mannerisms in any way as part of his masquerade. But his supervisors and co-workers begin to regard him in a new light, seeing him as exotic rather than dull, and his life becomes unexpectedly and dramatically better. Félix Santini, a homophobic co-worker who used to harass him, is warned he could be fired for discrimination if he continues to belittle Pignon, so he begins to make friendly overtures.
The company enters a float in a local gay pride parade, and Pignon is coerced into riding on it; his divorced wife and estranged son see him when the event is televised. The son is thrilled to learn his father, whom he always considered bland and boring, has a wilder side, and expresses an interest in spending more time with him. His suspicious ex-wife invites Pignon to dinner and demands an explanation. He has by this point gained enough self-confidence to tell her exactly what he thinks of her.
Meanwhile, Santini's charade of friendship has developed into an obsessive attraction; his wife suspects him of having an affair when she finds a receipt for an expensive pink cashmere sweater, and leaves him when he buys Pignon chocolates. After this, Santini invites Pignon to move in with him. When Pignon turns him down, Santini snaps, a fight ensues, and Santini is institutionalized to recover from his emotional breakdown.
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