Ridicule (Gülünç ilişkiler)

Ridicule is a 1996 French period drama directed by Patrice Leconte, written by Rémi Waterhouse. The story unfolds among the decadent nobility surrounding King Louis XVI at Versailles, a world where social standing depends on landing sharp verbal jabs at rivals while never becoming a laughingstock yourself.

At its center stands Grégoire Ponceludon de Malavoy, a modest provincial nobleman troubled by the wretched conditions of peasants who lack any proper sewage system and are dying as a result. With little money of his own, he travels to court hoping to win royal backing for a fix. There he crosses paths with the seasoned Marquis de Bellegarde, the formidable Madame de Blayac, and Bellegarde's daughter Mathilde, and these encounters shape much of the drama that follows.

The film also casts a critical eye on the aristocracy's vanity and indifference toward the suffering of ordinary people. Submitted by France for the Academy Award race, it competed for best foreign language film at the 69th Oscars and picked up several prizes at that year's César ceremony.