

Four prison inmates have been hatching a plan to literally dig out of jail when another prisoner, Claude Gaspard, is moved into their cell. They take a risk and share their plan with the newcomer. Over the course of three days, the prisoners and friends break through the concrete floor using a bed post and begin to make their way through the sewer system – yet their escape is anything but assured.
Direction
Becker's final film, shot in a real prison with actual inmates.
Sound
No score—just concrete scraping, breathing, and unbearable silence.
Editing
Twenty-minute wordless tunnel sequence that'll ruin your fingernails.

Director
Jacques Becker
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Jean Keraudy, who plays Roland, was one of the real prisoners who escaped La Santé in 1947—the film recreates his actual tunnel route.
Becker died weeks after filming; 'Le Trou' was his artistic testament to human resilience and the cruelty of hope.