Polisse

Tonight I was lucky enough to make it into a screening of Polisse by Maiwenn, one of the few big films that I can get in to see without having to show up at 4:00am and wait in line for the last remaining tickets.

The description was really vague and I wasn’t sure what it would be about, but I decided to jump on the opportunity and I’m so glad I did. It was maybe the best movie I’ve ever seen.

The very general description is that it’s about a Child Protective Services unit based in Paris. A photographer tails the unit for several weeks or months to document their day to day lives- what the officers do and how they cope with the traumatic things that they see at work.

The film was so well made and so realistic. The police unit was kind of like a big family. Over the course of the film you saw personal and professional relationships evolve, deteriorate, strengthen. Though really heavy overall, there were quite a few lighthearted moments that showed how the cops were able to unwind and have fun. The end was incredible and completely unexpected. The audience left the theater in almost complete silence. I cried in the middle of the movie and was actually shaking when we left. We lost one of the kids from our program after the movie. It turns out he had wandered off and climbed a tree while we were waiting for the bus home because he wanted to be alone.

The movie’s getting tons of critical acclaim around here at the festival. I’m really hoping it wins the Palme d’Or. 

Maiwenn-Writer, director, actress in
her own film, Polisse