Opening the Quinzaine des Cinéastes, Cédric Kahn'sLe Procès Goldman revisits the controversial media case of Pierre Goldman, the far-left activist accused of murdering two pharmacists on Paris's Boulevard Richard Lenoir in 1969.
Seven years and a first trial that sentenced him to life imprisonment later, Cédric Kahn opened the courtroom for Pierre Goldman's second trial, referred to the Amiens assizes on procedural grounds. In the ranks were Simone Signoret and Régis Debray, who had come to lend their influential support to the man they believed to be wrongly accused, and who, backed by a large part of the left-wing intelligentsia, effectively proclaimed his innocence.
Far from the murderous white convertible joyrides of Roberto Succo (2001), Cédric Kahn's Le Procès Goldman is a true trial film like no other. At a time when the true-crime fad has never been so prevalent in TV programming and on streaming platforms, the French filmmaker is only interested in the judicial side of the case, in a courtroom that resembles a theater stage.
Defended by Maitre Kiejman (Arthur Harari), then still unfamiliar with assize trials, Arieh Worthalter plays a principled, upright Pierre Goldman with ardor and panache. Holding the trial - and, by trickle, the film - together from start to finish with his response and his defiance of everyone, right down to his own lawyer, this anti-hero is served by carefully crafted dialogue (some of it delivered by the real Goldman during his successive trials), indispensable to a good trial film.
It's from these codes, taken to the extreme, that the film draws all its power. Its dense, breathless temporality brings the trial to life from the inside, as witnesses testify in court, almost in real time. Speech saturates space and time, leaving no room for silence until the verdict, which is also covered by the words of the audience.
From details to outbursts, from mocking bon mots to the confrontation of two opposing worlds on the audience benches - the old and the new, the right and the left, youth with ideals and the forces of law and order accused, even then, of violence - this impeccable huis clos doesn't allow itself a peek outside, even if only into the salle des pas perdus, nor any visualization of the words of either side. We'll have to take the eyewitnesses' word for it - or not, as the devil (and in this case, acquittal or conviction) hides in the details.
Tackling head-on themes that have never been so topical (the unrelenting trio of racism, anti-Semitism and fascism), right up to the showdown that breaks the film's rhythm and ranks, The Goldman Trial is, ultimately and politically, terribly contemporary.
Films Incontournables UGC 2024: the best films of 2023 back in cinemas for €5
Les Films Incontournables UGC is aptly named, as it features the best films of the past year. The new edition of this must-see event takes place from January 10 to 23, 2024, in some 15 cinemas in the Paris region. Good news: tickets are only 5 euros. It's also an opportunity to meet and talk with some of the directors. Here's the program! [Read more]
Drama is a popular genre with movie lovers, and there are plenty of films representing it in cinemas. If you're not sure what to choose for your movie night, we have several titles to recommend. Follow the guide! [Read more]
Not sure which film to see today? Well, we've got plenty of films to show near you. [Read more]
Films Incontournables UGC 2024: the best films of 2023 back in cinemas for €5
Cinema: dramas and thrillers currently showing in cinemas and coming soon
Cinema: which film to see today, this Thursday April 25th, 2024?
