The excellent Michel Piccoli (La Grande Bouffe; The Phantom of Liberty) plays Themroc. Themroc lives with his mother and sister in a depressing flat, where the monotonous silence is only broken by a cuckoo clock. Themroc's day begins with a bicycle ride to the railway station, then a train ride to his workplace.
At his works, Themroc goes into a locker room with the other men. They then split into two groups; one group wearing white overalls, the other wearing yellow. Each overall has an image of a man painting on the back. The two groups then quarrel in gibberish, some even seem to be squabbling with their lockers.
Work then begins. The men start to paint an iron fence. One of the groups use white paint, the other uses black (on the same fence.) Which colour wins? Themroc is then up a ladder, and caught peering through the window at his boss and secretary. His boss opens the window, and bangs Themroc on his nose, bloodying it. His boss demands to see him. He waits outside his office, and watches a man sharpening different coloured pencils. The pencils are put in two rows, one at the top, one at the bottom. The man sharpens the pencils from the top line, breaks the tip, then puts them on the bottom row.
Themroc is fired by his boss. He goes into a toilet cubicle and grunts and growls loudly, like a mad dog. On his way home he enters a subway station. He walks down the line into the tunnel, howling at the passing trains. Themroc arrives home, and is greeted at the door by his sister, who has her breast showing. He fondles her, and she seems to like it. He then gets a sledgehammer and knocks a huge hole in the wall of his flat. He throws out his television and other appliances onto the forecourt below. He enters and leaves his flat via a rope ladder dangling from the hole. Soon, other neighbours start to knock holes in their walls too.
The police eventually arrive, some in riot gear. Themroc and his sister throw anything they can find in the house at them in the forecourt below. The police throw tear gas cannisters in Themroc's flat, but he soon gets rid of them; and gleefully throws them back and forth with his neighbours, who are all now behaving like Themroc.
The police then leave. Themroc manages to capture a policeman at night. He takes the officer to his flat, and then all the neighbours gather round, and cook and feast on him; although the carcass shown is amusingly a pig's. A builder then arrives at, and tries to build a wall over the hole. Themroc jests with him, and persuades him to kick it down after two layers are built. Throughout the film a man is polishing his car near the forecourt, almost oblivious to the proceedings. He now takes a sledgehammer and destroys his car. Themroc and his neighbours are all groaning loudly. The incessant banal rat race begins again.
At his works, Themroc goes into a locker room with the other men. They then split into two groups; one group wearing white overalls, the other wearing yellow. Each overall has an image of a man painting on the back. The two groups then quarrel in gibberish, some even seem to be squabbling with their lockers.
Work then begins. The men start to paint an iron fence. One of the groups use white paint, the other uses black (on the same fence.) Which colour wins? Themroc is then up a ladder, and caught peering through the window at his boss and secretary. His boss opens the window, and bangs Themroc on his nose, bloodying it. His boss demands to see him. He waits outside his office, and watches a man sharpening different coloured pencils. The pencils are put in two rows, one at the top, one at the bottom. The man sharpens the pencils from the top line, breaks the tip, then puts them on the bottom row.
Themroc is fired by his boss. He goes into a toilet cubicle and grunts and growls loudly, like a mad dog. On his way home he enters a subway station. He walks down the line into the tunnel, howling at the passing trains. Themroc arrives home, and is greeted at the door by his sister, who has her breast showing. He fondles her, and she seems to like it. He then gets a sledgehammer and knocks a huge hole in the wall of his flat. He throws out his television and other appliances onto the forecourt below. He enters and leaves his flat via a rope ladder dangling from the hole. Soon, other neighbours start to knock holes in their walls too.
The police eventually arrive, some in riot gear. Themroc and his sister throw anything they can find in the house at them in the forecourt below. The police throw tear gas cannisters in Themroc's flat, but he soon gets rid of them; and gleefully throws them back and forth with his neighbours, who are all now behaving like Themroc.
The police then leave. Themroc manages to capture a policeman at night. He takes the officer to his flat, and then all the neighbours gather round, and cook and feast on him; although the carcass shown is amusingly a pig's. A builder then arrives at, and tries to build a wall over the hole. Themroc jests with him, and persuades him to kick it down after two layers are built. Throughout the film a man is polishing his car near the forecourt, almost oblivious to the proceedings. He now takes a sledgehammer and destroys his car. Themroc and his neighbours are all groaning loudly. The incessant banal rat race begins again.