Police (2011)

Directed by: Maiwenn | 134 minutes | drama | Actors: Karin Viard, Joey Starr, Marina Foïs, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Maïwenn Le Besco, Karole Rocher, Emmanuelle Bercot, Frédéric Pierrot, Arnaud Henriet, Naidra Ayadi, Jérémie Elkaïm, Riccardo Scamarcio, Sandrine Kiberlain, Wladimir Batoreaudanof, Laurent Belhordanof Sophie Cattani, Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Anthony Delon, Marcial Di Fonzo Bo, Lou Doillon, Louis Dussol, Carole Franck, Carla Guffroy, Audrey Lamy, Julien Landais, Riton Liebman, Nina Rodriguez, Anne Suarez

‘Polisse’ was awarded the Jury Prize for Best Picture at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Director Maïwenn (who plays the role of photographer Melissa in the film) came up with the idea for this film after seeing a documentary on TV. All the events in the film are based on facts, but in the details of some things, some things have changed. The film is about the work and life of a Paris police unit focused on child protection and minors.

What the employees of this unit experience on a daily basis takes us to the dark sides of human activity. Sometimes in a penetrating way one descends into the deepest recesses of the human soul. Abuse of children in various forms, but also children who themselves exhibit extremely deviant behavior: we become aware of it every day through the media. In the film scenario, the pressure that working under these circumstances puts on these people and the way this affects their private lives is sublimely processed.

In an almost documentary-like film style, the events initially follow each other in rapid succession. Each time, the story confronts us with detectives who first have to try very carefully to find out what actually happened in children, and then confront perpetrators (parents, grandparents, an athletics trainer, etc.) insistently with their behavior. That is certainly not gentle. Abuse is initially often strongly denied or it is only reluctantly and with great reluctance to admit that ‘my hand sometimes slipped when washing, but that was actually very lovingly intended’?

In a fiercely realistic way, the film thunders over you like a train in the first half. The detectives are confronted every day with new cases, which they have to deal with at a rapid pace due to their heavy workload. It is almost a necessity for them not to get emotionally involved in these matters, without this survival art they would quickly perish themselves. How do you prevent working in such a situation from going completely nuts and breaking down – or worse – getting out of it in any way completely disillusioned? The camera follows them closely, which only increases the realistic level.

Due to this workload, they are inevitably confronted with frustrations, disappointments, setbacks, cynicism, obstruction by superiors with other interests and also mutual contradictions. They too are people with their own expectations and flaws. Can they support each other sufficiently and thus keep them upright? These tensions, as well as the collegial camaraderie, are magnificently incorporated into the events.

Does the subject sound so heavy that you should avoid this film? Then you would be missing out on an excellent film that keeps you hooked when you watch it. It’s not all that heavy-handed. The story contains more than enough black humor when even the seasoned detectives are accused by young people of living in a previous century with their moral views. Do you just do certain things? Don’t you want to use yourself as a medium of exchange for a new smartphone? The frequent changes between the work and private situations of the detectives give us nice glimpses into the effect on the home front. Can you still talk about this at home? What can you do with your own children? The mutual collegiate verbal battles – however contradictory this may sound – still keep the film in balance as a harmonious viewing game.

Director Maïwenn does not shy away from giving politics a slap on the wrist. An offender who occupies a position of influence is sometimes protected by ‘higher powers’. In that case, the law (but we have known that in the Netherlands for a long time) is not the same for everyone. Some superiors then resign themselves in an almost cowardly way to a ‘direction’ from above – because of his position – not to deal with too hard.

The film hits the right note and has emotionally charged, poignant, heartbreaking and moving moments. The balance has been maintained, skilfully avoiding the trap of cheap thrills or rancidity. The cast is excellent, the various characters are strongly interpreted and are more than lifelike in their performance.

In a beautiful closing scene, this social drama takes a turn that sublimely expresses the despair of the one, but also the hope of the other. Raw, unpolished, emotional, convincing. Rolling on like a ‘rollercoaster’, fascinating and magical.