What is the plot?

Lise Bataille has been waiting for the trial against her for two years, locked in her house with an electronic device on her ankle. At 17, she was accused of murdering Flora, her best friend. She was found dead, after a party where all her friends were, but Lisa stayed over that night. The evidence, statements and previous events seem to determine that she is guilty. Lisa's parents support their daughter, especially her father, Bruno Bataille, although discovering things about their daughter will make them doubt. The trial, the defense and the prosecution will do their jobs and the jury will return a verdict.

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In the French judicial drama, most of the story takes place in the trial against the protagonist. It is filmed with great elegance, conveying the austere and cold atmosphere of the French court where the trial takes place.

For the American viewer, trials that differ from those seen in Hollywood dramas may be rare, especially for those glass domes where the defendant sits.

The pace of the film is slow, but it manages to absorb the viewer into the story, we learn about the crime through the statements of the witnesses and the accused. We are part of the audience that watches the trial, we only know what we hear from the statements and see in the videos that are presented as evidence.

There are no flashbacks to show us the crime or who the killer was, we must draw our own conclusion, our own verdict. Is he guilty? Is he innocent? No matter what the court determines, we will form our opinion of the case.

Issues such as the sexual freedom of young people and the prejudice against people like Lise, who lead a sexual life like many young people today, are addressed in this story. Lise is singled out for having a great sex life, even her father, for a moment, seems to judge her for that.

The cold reactions of the character Lise, the accused of the crime, will make us doubt. Is she pretending? Is she a murderer? Was it all planned? Or we could take those reactions as a defense mechanism against the exposure of her intimate life inside the court, where everyone seems to look at her in a condemnatory way.

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This French film is a remake of an Argentinean film

The Accused (Acusada)is a film directed by Argentine filmmaker Gonzalo Tobal, released in 2018, the main actors were: Lali Espósito, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Inés Estévez, Gerardo Romano, Daniel Fanego and Gael García Bernal. Although they tell the same story, they are very different films. I prefer the original film, I liked the Argentinean one better, because it has more focus on the family environment of the protagonist, showing the relationship with other friends who visit her and help her see a boy she likes. The relatives in the Argentinean version are more likely to support their daughter and hide evidence, something that is totally the opposite in the French film. In Accused there is also a scene where she makes it clearer whether the girl is guilty or innocent.

The character of the defense attorney, played by Daniel Fanego, adds to the emotion of the story with a powerful interpretation. Another addition to the original film, is the media exposure of the crime, with the media always harassing the family, something that is absent in French drama.

You can see either, the same story but with two very different approaches.

Is it inspired by real events?

When Gonzalo Tobal released his film in Argentina, he said in several interviews that it was not based on real events.But there are many similar cases in reality, occurred in many parts of the world, there are a couple of crimes that have many similarities with the one raised in the film.

For example, in 2007, there was a case in Argentina, which had a lot of media coverage and could be the source of inspiration for the original film, The Murder Case of Solange Grabenheimer. The accused of the crime was her friend Lucila Frend, who just like in the movie, had spent the night in that house, got up early and left, other friends of the victim would be the ones who would find the stabbed body hours later, and even though Lucila was with them, she did not want to enter the house. The alleged perpetrator was acquitted of all charges against her. In the following link read more about this case: link

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Roschdy Zem plays Bruno Bataille, the father of the defendant, the man who is dedicated full time to proving his daughter's innocence. He is an excellent French actor, who I have seen in several films, he has participated in more than forty productions, I recommend the film Omar Killed Me, one of the first films I saw of this actor. Besides Hors-La-Loi, Point Black (this one had an American remake).

The actress Chiara Mastroianni plays Céline Bataille, Lise's mother, who assumes a somewhat cold and distant position, because for a moment, doubt was present, but she supports her daughter's innocence. The actress is the daughter of Marcello Mastroianni and Catherine Deneuve. She has also had a career as a singer and has been the image of some commercial brands.

Melissa Guers plays Lise Bataille, the protagonist of the film, the teenager who is accused of killing her best friend. I didn't find any previous work in her IMDB file, it seems to be her debut in a major film. She does a good job of showing the indifference and anger contained in the character during the trial.

The film is directed by Stéphane Demoustier, who has his own production company. He started his career making short films, until he managed to release his first film. His previous film, Cleo & Paul, received good reviews from the specialized press.

Trailer

with English subtitles

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POSTER

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