THE STORY – 1972. A landmark trial shakes France as young Marie-Claire is prosecuted for having an illegal abortion with the help of her mother and two other defendants. In a courtroom governed by men, the verdict seems inevitable: prison for the women, while the rapist goes unpunished. Their last hope lies with Gisèle Halimi, a fearless lawyer known for openly challenging patriarchy and confronting the system that condemns victims and lets perpetrators walk free. Alongside the accused, Gisèle will not only change their fate, but, against all odds, transform the condition of women forever.
THE CAST – Charlotte Gainsbourg, Cécile de France, Grégory Gadebois, Saül Benchetrit, Sarah Suco, Florence Loiret Caille & Xavier Robic
THE TEAM – Lauriane Escaffre & Yvo Muller (Directors/Writers)
THE RUNNING TIME – 102 Minutes
The real-life landmark trial from 1972, which became known as L’Affaire Marie-Claire, is the subject of this engaging courtroom drama from co-directors Yvo Muller and Lauriane Escaffre (who also wrote the screenplay). Premiering in the Special Screening section of the 79th Cannes Film Festival, it’s a solid crowd-pleaser, anchored by strong performances.
Set in the northern Paris suburb of Bobigny in 1972, the film centers on lawyer Gisèle Halimi (Charlotte Gainsbourg), who takes the case of Marie-Claire Chevalier (Saül Benchetrit), a 16-year-old girl who procured an illegal abortion after being raped by a classmate. Alongside her, three other women are also being prosecuted: her single mother, transport worker Michèle (Cécile de France), who arranged the abortion; back-street abortionist Micheline (Florence Loiret Caille), who performed the procedure; and Michèle’s friend and co-worker Lucette (Sarah Suco), who put Michèle in touch with Micheline.
Opening in media res, as the trial begins, the film details the events of the case in chronological order, with a small handful of flashback sequences establishing how Michèle first found Gisèle, as well as the events leading up to Marie-Claire’s rape, and some other background information. In addition, there’s a key subplot involving Gisèle’s difficult relationship with her Arabian mother, Fritna (Farida Uchani), who strongly disapproves of her daughter taking the case. Given that the case – also known as the Bobigny trial – was such a landmark event (it led to the decriminalization of abortion in France, just three years later, with the 1975 Veil Act), the outcome of the film is never in doubt. Still, the film is alive to the various pleasures of the courtroom drama and dutifully ticks the expected boxes as a result. To that end, highlights include: Gisèle attempting to persuade a high-profile doctor (Marc Barbé) to testify; a moving speech by Michèle on the witness stand; and Gisèle’s rousing closing argument.
The script also devotes a large amount of time to Gisèle’s strategy for the case, where she effectively puts the law itself on trial. This is especially enjoyable when it centers on the media strategy, which involved getting men and celebrities (including actress Delphine Seyrig) to take the stand. That said, one of the key scenes, in which an editor comes up with the phrase “L’Affaire Marie-Claire”, has had its impact diluted slightly by the decision to retitle the film Women On Trial for English-language audiences.
Courtroom dramas are inherently comprised of clichés, and while the script can’t avoid some of the usual suspects in that regard, it nonetheless deserves praise for resisting the urge to fully indulge sentimentality, particularly in the subplot involving Gisèle and her mother. The script handles that element well, with a sensitive depiction of the pain parents feel when emotionally distant parents shower their grandchildren with the love they never showed their own children.
Gainsbourg is superb in the lead role, fired up with a righteous anger that permeates every scene. De France is equally good as Michèle, and there’s strong support from Saül Benchetrit, who gives Marie-Claire a compelling mixture of vulnerability and inner strength – her key scene involving a decision in the media strategy is one of several tear-jerking highlights. Elsewhere in the cast, Grégory Gadebois is wonderful as Claude, the world’s most supportive husband (any conflict between them is another cliché the script successfully avoids). At the same time, Farida Uchani is very effective as Fritna, whose coldness toward her daughter stands in stark contrast with the warmth she shows her young grandson. There’s also an enjoyable two-scene cameo for Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, as a sleazy reporter for France Soir, who tries to get Gisèle to sleep with him in return for coverage.
Interestingly, in addition to co-directing, both Muller and Escaffre both play supporting roles, the former as Jacques Monod, a well connected researcher on the case, and the latter in a delightful, scene-stealing turn as wise-cracking Colette, a member of the Choisir support group who Gisèle recruits as her assistant, largely because she’s the only member of the defence team who is prepared to speak her mind and stand up to her. As co-directors, Muller and Escaffre do a solid, efficient job, striking the right tone of righteous indignation, with an implicit acknowledgment that there’s still plenty of work to do when it comes to how women are treated by the law today. They also deserve praise for a quietly effective final scene, ending on a transition from a shot of Gisèle, Michèle and Marie-Claire on the courthouse steps to an affecting photograph of their real-life counterparts.
“Women On Trial” benefits from Stéphane Taillasson’s understated but effective 1970s production design, as well as Emmanuelle Youchnovski’s costumes, particularly in the case of Michèle’s colorful, high-neck jumpers, which are highlighted in the script when the judges are assessing her character (They are, to be fair, excellent jumpers). Overall, it is a well-made, superbly acted courtroom drama that pushes all the right emotional buttons and delivers a resonant message in the process. While it rarely strays from genre conventions, the strength of its performances and the enduring relevance of its subject matter ensure its emotional and political impact lands powerfully.
