A Rigorous French Cinematic Case Study in Police Misconduct

The intelligent new French film “Case 137” examines the issue of police brutality through the lens of the “Yellow Vest” protests that began in 2018. With the country embroiled in yet another protest movement over the past few weeks, the movie’s release here will interest not just Francophiles but those viewers seeking perspective on French society. Anchored by an astounding performance by Léa Drucker, the feature should also command the attention of those who cherish great acting, sensitive writing, and slow-burning police procedurals. After setting the scene with some real photos of demonstrations and riots in Paris, as well as an imagined instance of law-enforcement misconduct, the film proceeds in earnest with its plot, which finds Stéphanie (Ms. Drucker), an internal affairs officer, investigating the case of a teenage boy, Guillaume, who was shot with a riot gun flash-ball and who remains hospitalized after sustaining a major head wound. Family members who were present give their accounts, including the boy’s mother, brother, and sister, though the statement provided by best friend Rémi, who along with Guillaume became separated from the others as the march turned chaotic, proves the most crucial as he declares that the police shooting was unprovoked. Beyond interviews, director Dominik Moll recreates the family’s participation in the protest, primarily through the characters’ documentation of events via their cellphones. These glimpses of the family not only take the film out of its static investigatory mode but also help to flesh out who many of the demonstrators were: mainly working class people from rural or peri-urban areas. As a family member explains, going to a protest in Paris served a dual purpose: the chance to voice their frustration with the government over economic issues as well as an opportunity to see Paris. But their Parisian sojourn/cri de cœur turns distressing when they and other protesters get hemmed in by crowd control forces, eventually causing Guillaume and Rémi to go astray and the incident in which the former is severely injured. Through various video footage of the surrounding streets, Stéphanie is able to identify a group of masked, plainclothes gendarmes who were most likely involved in the shooting. But her interrogations of these individuals and other police officials come to nothing when no one remembers shooting anyone and weapon-use reports don’t exist or were filed much later. Mr. Moll proves himself conscientious by including scenes in which law enforcement characters talk of their unpreparedness and the lack of coordination given the urgent, often destructive nature of the protests. With a screenplay written with Gilles Marchand consolidating several real-life cases into one central investigation, the director also features dialogue by police that couches their task in reactionary, militant terms. A little later, there’s a scene in which Stéphanie and the investigating team—all former cops—acknowledge radicalizing elements within the police force while also mentioning the extremism among factions of the Yellow Vest movement.All this careful balancing of perspectives and testimonies matches Stéphanie’s neutral tone when questioning those involved and her meticulous scrutiny of evidence. The latter quality eventually leads to a requisite aha moment when she notices something in a video, which in turn leads her to a hotel chambermaid (a compelling Guslagie Malanda) and a clip of the incident itself, which the investigator had heretofore lacked. This footage points to a clear culprit yet despite a few thriller-like moments and procedural details like a shooting reenactment, the movie never aspires to be a genre picture. What it aims for and succeeds in being is an exploration of conflicted allegiances and a portrait of sangfroid during trying times.That coolness and composure are primarily provided by Ms. Drucker in a performance not only noteworthy for its lack of actorly fireworks but also paradoxically intense. Except for one scene in which Stéphanie argues with her mother, the character mostly appears dispassionate and matter-of-fact, with the director leveraging the actress’s mastery of the placid countenance to great effect. Yet even in moments in which the character is merely observing and listening, small modulations in her facial expressions and doe-eyes allow one to read the character’s thoughts and even detect irony. Having won her second Best Actress award at this year’s César Awards, Ms. Drucker merits accolades on this side of the pond as well.One of the best elements of Mr. Moll and Mr. Marchand’s script sees them integrate Stéphanie’s private life and how her job affects loved ones such as her son. This personal factor is made even more significant when she learns early on how the injured boy and his family are from her hometown, complicating her ability to remain impartial. Some might consider this development melodramatically convenient, though there’s no denying that it ups the narrative tension, not to mention enabling the filmmakers to delve deeper into the idea of objectivity and ethics. While the film maintains a methodical, even tone throughout, like its protagonist, one may wish its dramatic context were wider, that it encompassed more aspects of the French sociopolitical landscape and that its occasional good cop/bad cop dichotomy introduced more complication.A case in point, so to speak, is that we never find out whether the video depicting the shooting is released to the press which feels like a missed opportunity to examine how public opinion can influence institutional decision-making. Mr. Moll does look into a facet of media, though, via the phenomenon of viral cat videos and their anesthetizing, even mollifying effect. The question he ultimately posits in the final scenes is whether lighthearted moments and reels can ever square with harsh reality.

A Rigorous French Cinematic Case Study in Police Misconduct

A Rigorous French Cinematic Case Study in Police Misconduct

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