With Dossier 137, Dominik Moll returns with a new crime thriller co-written with Gilles Marchand, continuing the thematic exploration seen in The Night of the 12th. The film is set to premiere in official competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and will hit French theaters on November 19, 2025. Led by Léa Drucker, alongside Guslagie Malanda and Mathilde Roehrich, this new work ventures into a rarely explored territory in cinema: the world of the IGPN, the police oversight body.
Initially, Case 137 appears to be just another assignment for Stéphanie, a seasoned investigator tasked with scrutinizing a tense police operation during a protest. A young man was seriously injured by a rubber bullet shot, and the question of accountability needs to be clarified. But as the investigation unfolds, this seemingly straightforward case number turns into a personal ordeal, challenging the investigator’s professional judgment and moral compass.
The story is set against a specific social and political backdrop, directly inspired by real events that took place during the Yellow Vest protests. Dominik Moll draws on immersive research within the Parisian division of the IGPN, made possible by the agency’s openness. This documentary-style approach grounds the film in procedural accuracy, paying close attention to investigative methods, judicial language, and the complexities of contradictions.
December 2018. The Yellow Vests movement is in full swing across France. In Paris, protesters gather every Saturday on the Champs-Elysées to march tirelessly, clad in their signature fluorescent vests. This intense wave of demonstrations brought to light – or rather reawakened – the specter of police violence, forever etched into the history of protests in France (notably documented by journalist and filmmaker David Dufresne, who compiled footage of these abuses). It seems to confirm a grim pattern: no demonstration, no matter how peaceful, can now avoid falling into this cycle of violence.
Set against this very particular backdrop, Dominik Moll's new film, Dossier 137, was unveiled in the official competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. Like his previous critically acclaimed feature (La Nuit du 12), this new work from French director is a police procedural, but this time it dives into the very heart of the police watchdog, the IGPN, affectionately known as the "carrots" among insiders.
Léa Drucker plays Stéphanie, an investigator at the IGPN tasked with probing her colleagues in the BRI unit. Four officers are accused of firing the LBD 40 at a peaceful protester, leaving him critically injured. Naturally highly political, Dossier 137 could have easily become controversial by veering too clearly to one side — either sympathizing with the protesters (ACAB) or defending the police. Instead, the film presents a thoughtful and measured approach aimed at fostering understanding, with director Dominik Moll deliberately avoiding overly simplistic good-versus-evil portrayals.
The French director masterfully finds the right perspective and the right distance to explore the facts, relying on a rigorous demonstration— in an age of multiplied visual mediums. He also benefits from a superb performance by Léa Drucker, who portrays a detective grounded and restrained but willing to go to extremes (even crossing lines) to uncover the truth. For her, it’s the only way to reconcile her personal morals with her profession, which often comes under intense scrutiny.
But the film doesn’t shy away from exposing its own hand and sharply critiques how the “police always get away with it”. It satirizes the baseless excuses and the pathetic justifications offered by the implicated officers (the audience's reaction was a mix of bitter laughs), all protected by a system orchestrated by white male decision-makers, where silence and complicity are the norm. It's hard not to leave the theater feeling disillusioned.
The film also stands out through several striking directorial choices. Smartphone footage, a staple of modern investigations, has been largely reconstructed and stylized to emphasize its crucial role in establishing the truth. Filming in Saint-Dizier, a working-class town shaped by deindustrialization and social protests, grounds the story in a peripheral France rarely depicted on screen.
Dominik Moll has also chosen to focus the story on a female character, flipping the usual power dynamics. Léa Drucker prepared for her role by meeting several investigators from the IGPN, aiming to accurately portray a profession often entered without a personal calling.
Case 137
Film | 2025
In theaters: November 19, 2025
Mystery | Runtime: 1h55
Directed by Dominik Moll | Starring Léa Drucker, Guslagie Malanda, Mathilde Roehrich
Country: France
With Dossier 137, Dominik Moll continues his exploration of investigative cinema rooted in reality, keenly examining institutional dynamics and human flaws. Featured among the films competing for the Palme d’Or, this feature film joins a tradition of contemporary French thrillers with a strong social commentary.
To extend your movie experience beyond the theater, check out the November cinema releases, discover the must-see films of the moment, and explore our curated selection of French films of the year.
