On February 27, 2000, Suzanne Viguier disappeared from her home in Toulouse without a trace. Did her husband Jacques, kill her? Nora, who attended Viguier's first trial, is convinced of his innocence. She succeeds in convincing the tenor of the bar Dupont-Moretti to defend him for his second lawsuit. She eventually became his unofficial collaborator. A quest for the truth that gradually turns into an obsession.
The dysfunctions of justice have always interested the cinema. It is therefore not surprising that the Jacques Viguier case has become the subject of a film. Newcomer Antoine Rambault takes the case in hand - and with honors. Fascinated by the affair (which he followed in real life) and relying on a meticulous study of all its aspects, the director manages to give the whole thing a quasi-documentary tone. This does not exclude adventures, suspense or dramatic turns of events. On the interpretation side, Laurent Lucas perfectly renders Viguier's silent and clumsy, almost opaque side, which makes him an « ideal culprit ». The contrast is striking with the flamboyant Olivier Gourmet, his defender with a formidable eloquence. A notable addition to the duo is Nora (wonderful Marina Foïs), the only fictional character in this true story. It's a great find because by following her epic quest for truth, the film acquires an irresistible momentum. The director's commitment, his sincerity, his denunciation of the vices of French justice (among which the principle of intimate conviction, so often denounced by his great elder André Cayatte) give the work a beautiful energy, sometimes raging, which prevents it from falling into the platitudes of mere illustration and demonstration. Should a man accused of killing his wife be condemned if her corpse has never been found? If the police investigation was botched? If potentially decisive leads were overlooked? For Antoine Rambault, the answer is no, no and no. And this is not just a matter of intimate conviction!
The dysfunctions of justice have always interested the cinema. It is therefore not surprising that the Jacques Viguier case has become the subject of a film. Newcomer Antoine Rambault takes the case in hand - and with honors. Fascinated by the affair (which he followed in real life) and relying on a meticulous study of all its aspects, the director manages to give the whole thing a quasi-documentary tone. This does not exclude adventures, suspense or dramatic turns of events. On the interpretation side, Laurent Lucas perfectly renders Viguier's silent and clumsy, almost opaque side, which makes him an « ideal culprit ». The contrast is striking with the flamboyant Olivier Gourmet, his defender with a formidable eloquence. A notable addition to the duo is Nora (wonderful Marina Foïs), the only fictional character in this true story. It's a great find because by following her epic quest for truth, the film acquires an irresistible momentum. The director's commitment, his sincerity, his denunciation of the vices of French justice (among which the principle of intimate conviction, so often denounced by his great elder André Cayatte) give the work a beautiful energy, sometimes raging, which prevents it from falling into the platitudes of mere illustration and demonstration. Should a man accused of killing his wife be condemned if her corpse has never been found? If the police investigation was botched? If potentially decisive leads were overlooked? For Antoine Rambault, the answer is no, no and no. And this is not just a matter of intimate conviction!