Cédric Kahn’s film looks back on a little-known period in French history and on an original character. A raw, physical and captivating feature film, in theaters September 27.
Everything happens in a court and an adjoining cell which serves as a waiting room for a prisoner like no other: Pierre Goldman, far-left activist. Sentenced at first instance to life imprisonment for four armed robberies, one of which resulted in the death of two pharmacists, he admits to the robberies and denies the murders. The man speaks loudly and responds easily. He is also a wounded man, his wounds are gaping. It is November 1975, the second trial of Pierre Goldman begins. The accused is combative, sometimes surly.
In the name of his own
The fear of yet another filmed trial quickly fades. We quickly enter a raw, physical film, without special effects. Neither music nor pathos. The film The Goldman trial, which comes out Wednesday, September 27, is aimed more at the brain than at the affect. The acting is dense, intense. Arieh Worthalter plays a Pierre Goldman full of suppressed anger, on the verge of breakdown.
Director Cédric Kahn says he discovered the character about fifteen years ago, while reading his book Obscure memories of a Polish Jew born in France (Points). Character, because Pierre Goldman carries a story and dreams. Son of Jewish resistance fighters of Polish origin, guerrilla himself in Venezuela before returning to France and becoming a robber. A fierce anti-racist, he has always harbored a complex towards his parents, heroes for whom he has unlimited admiration and whom he wanted to bring together, without ever succeeding in his opinion.
“I am innocent because I am innocent”
A complex that he will tell the Court. The scene where he speaks to his father in the court is very poignant. Just as he will repeat his sentence like a leitmotif: “I am innocent because I am innocent.” Innocent or guilty? Cédric Kahn succeeds in keeping his audience in suspense. The tension never subsides.
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The refined, minimalist staging contributes to the dramatization of the trial. The public is invited to take the place of the jury. The pleading of Georges Kiejman, who died a few days before the premiere of the film at the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival last May, is strikingly true. The challenge: to avoid the death penalty for his temperamental client. Actor Arthur Harari knew how to embody the famous lawyer, right down to his gestures. The film The Goldman trial carried by actors “invested”is a captivating theater which was able to recreate a tumultuous period through a nervous, feverish closed door.
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Technical sheet
Gender : detective, drama, historical, legal
Realization : Cedric Kahn
Actors: Arieh Worthalter, Arthur Harari, Stéphan Guérin-Tillié, Jeremy Lewin
Country : France
Duration : 1H 55
Theatrical release: September 27, 2023
Distributer : Ad Vitam
Synopsis: In November 1975, the second trial began of Pierre Goldman, a far-left activist, sentenced at first instance to life imprisonment for four armed robberies, one of which resulted in the death of two pharmacists. He proclaims his innocence in this latest affair and in a few weeks becomes the icon of the intellectual left. Georges Kiejman, a young lawyer, defends him. But very quickly, their relationship becomes strained.