In 19th century rural Brittany, a little girl, Ellen, worships Ankou, Death’s henchman, and she lets her morbid imagination run wild. Unloved by her mother, Ellen is isolated and battered by life, and then she poisons her mother. She spreads death throughout Brittany while working as a live-in cook, becoming one of the most prolific serial killers in history. Based on the novel of the same title by French author, Jean Teulé, The Poisoning Angel is an ambitious debut film about Hélène Jégado, a real-life French serial killer. Ankou, worshiped in the film by Ellen, is a mythical creature that was much feared by the locals in Brittany, which was somewhat behind the times. In this film, the essence of the 19th century is well presented through mise-en-scène in still frame, and the director’s effort to understand the story is clear in this portrayal, which explores the reasons an apparently normal, young and beautiful woman became a notorious murderer who poisoned dozens of people. The “naïve killer” is deftly played by Deborah François.(RHEE Souewon)