‘Case 137’ Director Dominik Moll on Exploring Divides in French Society and Police in Cannes-Premiering Political Drama Set During Gilets Jaunes Riots

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Dominik Moll, the award-winning French filmmaker, discussed the relevance of his movie “Case 137,” which had its world premiere in competition at Cannes on Thursday night. The film delves into the issue of police misconduct using the lens of a thorough investigation.

Movie ‘Case 137’ unfolds amidst France’s Yellow Vest protests and revolves around a young man sustaining injuries from a flash-ball projectile. Actress Léa Drucker, currently at Cannes with Laura Wandel’s ‘Adam’s Sake’, plays the role of an investigator from the French IGPN (internal affairs) department in this film. Her task is to uncover who was responsible for the incident.

Moll has been involved with this project since it began, which coincided with the intense Gilets Jaunes protests in 2018 and 2019 that exposed societal rifts in France. However, unlike films such as Ladj Ly’s “Les Miserables” or Romain Gavras’ “Athena,” this project wasn’t primarily intended to be a hard-hitting political thriller focusing on police brutality.

Moll expressed her disapproval of the concept of a film titled ‘coup de poing’. Instead, she prefers to elucidate how an institution operates. In relation to the Gilets Jaunes protests, Moll commented, “That period was characterized by a loss of political power and subsequent excessive responses from law enforcement. It served as a powerful demonstration of the deep-rooted divisions in French society, particularly between urban centers like Paris and smaller towns or rural areas where people often feel overlooked or neglected, or where public services are deteriorating. This movement was quite reflective of these underlying issues.

Currently, it may seem as though they are distant, but these divisions persist, and discussing them appears relevant, given that the Gilets Jaunes movement has become a significant chapter in French history. I believe addressing such matters is crucial.

In this new movie, Moll continues their success from “The Night of the 12th,” a story about a police investigation into a horrific murder case of a young woman. This film resonated in France and was honored with six awards at the Cesar Awards, such as Best Film, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Moll and Gilles Marchand, as well as Rising Actor for Bastien Bouillon.

Reflecting on both films, Moll expressed that “The Night of the 12th” sparked her curiosity about law enforcement agencies and their inner workings.

Or simply:

Moll found that watching “The Night of the 12th” fueled her fascination with police institutions and how they operate.

I find the allure of police investigations lies in the thrill of working on cases directly from the field, immersed in the tension and suspense, among other aspects. In ‘The Night of the 12th,’ it was a focus on violence against women. Here, however, I’ve chosen to delve into police violence during enforcement operations, specifically through a police investigation led by the IGPN, the police oversight body. This intrigued me because it presents an unusual scenario: police officers investigating their own peers. I felt that this setup offered fertile ground for storytelling, exploring how such investigations unfold when the subjects under scrutiny are fellow law enforcement officials.

Caroline Benjo, who collaborated with Carole Scotta on both “Case 137” and “The Night of the 12th” at Haut et Court, described these films as having a “definitely healing quality.” According to Benjo, “The Night of the 12th” was a particularly tough and somewhat bleak film, yet it had a cleansing effect. Benjo added that director Dominique invests deeply in spaces that are ambiguous or grey, which she believes we’ve neglected in our quest for clarity. Instead, these grey areas, filled with nuance and complexity, are the ones we desperately need to revisit in reality.

In the critique by EbMaster, “Case 137” was highly praised as a powerfully engaging police investigation story. Moreover, he commended Drucker’s outstanding portrayal as a tenacious inspector uncovering a shocking instance of excessive force used by riot police.

Prior to its debut, the movie “Case 137” made waves in media when it was revealed that one of its secondary actors, Theo Navarro-Mussy, had been barred by the Cannes Film Festival authorities from attending the red carpet event due to allegations of sexual assault and rape.

“Case 137” is represented internationally by Charades.

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2025-05-16 14:16