Knock, a reformed ex-conman turned doctor, arrives in the small village of Saint-Meurice to apply a ‘method’ intended to make his fortune: he will convince the population that everyone who is healthy is a sick person in disguise. To do this, he will diagnose each person with a real or imaginary illness they suffer from.
A master of the art of seduction or manipulation, Knock is on the verge of achieving his goals.
But he is caught off guard by two things he hadn’t anticipated: matters of the heart and a shady figure from his past who comes to blackmail him.
The play is as theatrical as farce can be. We have the quack physician, the priest who enters into rivalry with Knock, the mayor, the wealthy widow, the nymphomaniac doctor’s wife…
In the end, a tragic event befalls Knock. The only person with whom he was truly himself, without lying or scamming, dies. The final scene accompanying this is notable.
Indeed, Knock loses Adèle. During her funeral, the priest accuses Knock of being a fraud. Knock turns the priest’s arguments against him, even though he halfheartedly admits to being a fraud. The village is outraged at the priest’s behavior and decides to keep Knock. So, Knock ends up happy, surrounded by people who love him, even though he is a fraud.
The film’s dubious moral makes it stumble. Omar Sy has a tremendous charisma, and ultimately, even though he is a fraud, we forgive him because he’s likable.
