Director: Cedric Kahn

Stars: Arieh Worthalter, Arthur Harari, Stephan Guerin-Tillie

Europe’s turbulent 70 milieu is effectively evoked in a single setting in French director’s Kahn’s vivid recreation of the 1976 Goldman trial at which Jewish leftwing activist and revolutionary turned robber Pierre Goldman (Worhalter), imprisoned for allegedly killing two pharmacists during a robbery, had his case reheard. The retrial came to be in part due to Goldman’s prison memoir and became a cause celebre in France attracting a large, very vocal group of leftwing activists to witness the trial, as well as actor Simone Signoret and philosopher Régis Debray. As the trial goes on strains of antisemitism and anti-leftism in French society are exposed. The documentary style initially feels a little dry before the trial turns rowdy and pugnacious with defence, prosecution and the accused all shouting over each another to almost comically unruly effect, the chaos augmented by camera swoops and sudden zooms. Worthalter, resembling a hangdog John Hamm, is excellent as Goldman, his character principled, passionate and fearless, but also aware and frank about his own shortcomings.

David Willoughby

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