Always Good Movies

Direction: Cédric Kahn
Country: France

The Goldman Case is an insightful, raw, and nervy courtroom drama set in the mid-‘70s that fascinates as much for its portrayal of an era as for its exploration of justice. Directed by Cédric Kahn (Red Lights, 2004; The Prayer, 2018), it’s a semi-autobiographical work based on the second trial of Pierre Goldman (masterfully portrayed by Arieh Worthalter), a far-left militant accused of four armed robberies and the murder of two women. Facing life imprisonment, Goldman is defended by a passionate young lawyer, Georges Kiejman (Arthur Harari), who, like him, is a Polish Jew born in France to a modest background. The accused concedes to the label of “gangster” but vehemently denies being a murderer, asserting his innocence in the ambiguous killings.

The film begins discreetly, almost academically, but gradually imposes its rigor and style. Goldman’s case hinges on a shaky alibi, conflicting witnesses, and affecting testimonies from his girlfriend and father. Justice is explored in its very human giddiness when no scientific proof comes to its rescue, and aspects such as racism, anti-Semitism, xenophobic police, and more, emerge in its complex societal forms.

Kahn collaborated with Nathalie Hertzberg in the screenplay, choosing to fictionalize elements by blending Goldman’s two trials and drawing from his book. Yet, the film is so well directed and intensely acted that it's hard not to take it. It values speech without grandiloquence and avoids dramatic flourishes while exposing the fragility of truth and the difficulty of judging. It's a pleasure to get wrapped up in such a thoughtfully conceived and stirringly executed reconstruction, one delivered with gripping rhythm, fervent passion, and a clear form. With The Goldman Case, Kahn signs his most memorable film to date.

Direction: Arthur Harari
Country: Japan / France / other

There’s a certain appeal in the mental confinement of a man devoted to his cause to the point of denying the obvious. The French filmmaker Arthur Harari (Dark Inclusion, 2016) magnificently captures the topic in his sophomore feature, Onoda: 10,000 Nights in the Jungle, by telling the true story of a tenacious Japanese soldier who lived in a permanent state of belligerency on a Filipino island for thirty years, after the second world war was over.

Eschewing any type of unnecessary flourish, this observant epic takes a heartbreaking look at a man’s spirit of duty, resistance, and ultimately delusion. Keen observation bleeds out of many scenes as we follow the incredulous soldier Hiroo Onoda (Yuya Endo / Kanji Tsuda), a man who never surrendered until ordered by the high-ranking official who had trained him, Major Taniguchi (Issey Ogata). Harari captures few battle scenes, almost conveying detached feelings when he does, as if not wanting them to overwhelm the deception and obstinacy of a soldier who fights an invisible war.

Unfolding with the enthrallment of some classics - directors Kon Ichikawa and Masaki Kobayashi are probably influences - the film is a seamless, nearly absurd, and pity-free account of a particular war episode that is, nevertheless, quite touching.