Broken France explodes in Cannes

It's been twenty years since Franco-German director Dominik Moll returned to Cannes with a competition film. In 2005, he appeared with Lemming , a story whose plot included an unpleasant dinner and a mysterious death. Yesterday, he graced the Croisette with Dossier 137 , a film that rigorously denounces the impunity of police violence. The film, based on a true story, follows the daily life of Stéphanie, an internal affairs police officer tasked with investigating misconduct by her colleagues and removing anyone who oversteps their authority from the force. It's a far from easy job that becomes more complicated when she begins to investigate the case of a young man seriously injured in the head during a tense and chaotic demonstration in Paris in December 2018. The victim's mother is demanding justice because her son has serious after-effects and will never be able to return to a normal life. On the other hand, her colleagues view her with suspicion when the investigation clearly points to the deplorable behavior of a group of riot police officers with names and surnames.

Dossier 137 is also a portrait of the social divide in France, a situation made evident by the Yellow Vest protest movement. "We have the impression that it's very far away, but that divide still exists, and it seemed like a good way to talk about it" because "the story of the Yellow Vests is already part of the history of France," he told the press yesterday.

'Dossier 137' denounces the impunity of police violence during the 'yellow vest' protests.

The meticulous investigative work of the agent, played by the brilliant Léa Drucker, who is already poised for an award, runs parallel to her role as a divorced mother who goes grocery shopping and rescues a kitten locked in the garage. The intense drama of the story is softened by some everyday scenes of the protagonist with her son or her parents, watching funny cat videos on the internet, or playing bowling with her friends. The fact that the victim is from the same place where she was born pushes her even further to investigate a matter that collides with the interests of a corrupt administration, even though a witness's video leaves no room for confusion about what happened that night.

The protagonist's frustration is something captured with exquisite naturalness by Drucker, an actress who has previously appeared in films such as Close and Last Summer . "I could feel Stéphanie's loneliness, being caught between two fences, not necessarily being appreciated by her fellow police officers or by the public. It's a very hard, technical, and committed job that tries to do justice," says the French actress, who interviewed several investigators to prepare for her role. Drucker also believes in justice, "but it deserves to be questioned."

Also hitting the packed red carpet last night was the Eddington team, A24's new project directed by Ari Aster, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone, and Austin Butler. Bono, the iconic frontman of U2, presented the documentary Stories of Surrender , a blend of documentary and biographical concert. And Kristen Stewart raised huge expectations with her directorial debut, The Water Chronology , an adaptation of the memoirs by writer Lidia Yuknavitch.