This film is so good on so many levels that not only I enjoyed watching it very much but it also made me think about things - a hard task these days given the fact that I already have a full hand of things that I have to think about everyday.
Firstly, as a legal drama, or more correctly, a courtroom drama, this film is just a perfect one from start to finish with a very subdued (and thus realistic) tempo except for a few moments of emotional peaks during the examination sessions very typical of a realistic court case (the larger part of this film is dedicated to the actual procedures in front of the judge and jury, and only a small part on the preparation and aftermath, so it is rather a courtroom drama - like 12 Angry Men instead of a legal one - like Primal Fear, in my opinion). This "faithfulness" of this film vis-à-vis a French court process is actually very important and meaningful to me, since I have been a big fan of the "true crime" genre in recent years and just fascinated by and paid great attention to good true crime films. But as its name implies, most good true crime films just focus on "the crime" and not on the court process, which might be to the filmmakers already a "done deal" despite the fact that in reality court process, the prosecutors' and defense lawyers' talent (or lack thereof), and defendant's and witnesses' "performance" ARE the decisive factor that leads to a conviction (or not), and NOT the facts/evidences gathered/left behind by the investigators/culprits. And this film is a very, very rare example of a magnificent courtroom drama (I discount My Cousin Vinny, which is too humorous for its own good and too exaggerated for a realistic courtroom drama) even until its very end, when the audience, just like the (almost) blind young witness, have to follow the court events one at a time, unsure what is the truth, what is the fiction, who is right, who is wrong, even after the final verdict was already given by the court. This ambiguity of the script is extremely tasteful, as it gives the film a necessary dose of tension to compensate for its lack of action sequences or crime depictions, the audience a doubtful impression about the characters, about the court process, about the whole thing, and surprisingly enough some comfort, doubtful it is though, thanks to the very final scene with the lovely dog Snoop (acted amazingly by "Messi" - he should have given an acting nomination for this film, how could he, a dog, "act" perfectly like that I have no idea).
Secondly, this film has a masterful treatment of the relationship between languages and emotions and loneliness. Thanks to a wonderful performance by Sandra Hüller (I pray to God that she would win the golden statue this year at the Oscar, but she simply has no chance given the political correctness attitude of Hollywood these days, which will 110% give the award to Lily Gladstone due to her native American origin), the audience, especially ones with a sufficient understanding of English, French, and German like me, really feel the emotional "switch" when her character Sandra Voyter had to change from French to English to express herself fully in front of the judge and jury, or when she uttered some rare German words ("Ja"/Yes) when being pushed to the extreme emotionally. Voyter's utter loneliness is also palpable to the audience when they observe the French around her can do some "chit chat" in simple French with her but would switch to fully "high-brown" sophisticated French at court, which not only confused Voyter but also forced her (again) to the realization that she is no one but a stranger in this snowy French town. I feel Voyter's desolation a lot, since I can also speak French comfortably enough but have never been able to become "good enough" to not stand among French people as a stranger from a strange land due to the language barrier. The switching back and forth between French and English in this film naturally reminds me of Inglourious Basterds - a marvellous film in my opinion successful in making the different languages, and language differences become another "character" of the film.
Thirdly, this film is a very thought-provoking piece of philosophical cinema on the subject of prejudice, misogyny and the definition of success, roles, and responsibilities in a modern society. In the era of "Me Too" and LGBT-and-many-more, one might think that prejudice and misogyny is just a "simple" theme that can be tackled with various approaches. But to make such an approach engaging, relatable, and not "preachy" is not at all an easy task. Rather, people have to dig deeper into the subconsciousness to find the commonality in terms of "inherent" misogyny and prejudice between people of different backgrounds, different culture, different countries. And this film just did it perfectly. Not only it shows an obvious misogynistic hostility of the prosecutorial side against women like Voyter, but also gives the audience seveval "awakening" moments about their own prejudices, like when Voyter had to beg the prosecutor and others to remember that her blind son IS enjoying his BEST life instead of SUFFERING from his visual impairment - something he could not change and does not have to change to make his life "better" (in the eyes of other "normal people" with full visual capability). There are many small but meaningful moments and dialogues like that sprinkled throughout the film that make this film an even better watching experience than it already is.
This film is so emotional, so impactful, and so well-made that I really, really hope that it can win the Oscar for Best Picture this year, but obviously Hollywood already made its choice with the bombastic and showy Oppenheimer. I can only wish that Justine Triet will be able to at least win a "consolation" statue in either the Best Director or Best Original Screenplay categories.
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