L'Hermine (Courted)
19/02/17 Filed in: Amazon Prime
Amazon currently has a number of very good films on offer that are free to watch for Prime members. The latest on my watchlist is L'Hermine, referring to the attire of the criminal court judge in this courtroom drama. The English title, Courted, is a play on words, referring obviously to the court, while also alluding to the romantic story that runs in parallel with the progress of the trial.
Michel Racine is the judge, or more correctly in the French criminal court (cour d'assises), le président of the court. A fact that he takes pains to point out to a number of the witnesses, who mistakingly address him as Monsieur Judge. He has a ruthless reputation, not improved by having a touch of the flu, and is about to try a case where a young man is accused of killing his baby daughter by kicking her. We are shown the preliminaries of the case, including the selection of jurors. During this process, whereby the judge picks names from a pot, the name Ditte Lorensen-Coteret comes out, causing an immediate change in the judge's demeanour. There is obviously history between them.
The trial commences and a recess is called much earlier than usual, caused it seems by Judge Racine's encounter with Ditte. When things recommence the accused, Martial Beclin, refuses to answer any questions, simply saying in response to each that he didn't kill his daughter. The trial progresses with evidence from witnesses and interventions by the lawyers for each side, but it is interesting how the judge himself also asks searching questions. Also, before each witness is dismissed from the stand the jurors are also given the opportunity to ask questions.
During a lunch break Racine contacts Ditte by SMS and eventually they arrange to meet. Apparently such a meeting between the judge and a juror is not illegal but highly unusual. It transpires that Ditte, a nurse, looked after Racine after a serious accident, following which he had effectively fallen in love with her. Attempts then to stay in contact with her had failed. He doesn't want this second encounter to end in the same way and expresses his love for her, while she remains noticeably noncommittal. At a subsequent meeting between them, Ditte's 17 year old daughter is there, having unexpectedly come to court to watch proceedings. Racine and her actually get along very well, although she does take a call when he's part way through reciting verse, prompting him to remark that she obviously wasn't impressed by the poet.
Michel Racine is the judge, or more correctly in the French criminal court (cour d'assises), le président of the court. A fact that he takes pains to point out to a number of the witnesses, who mistakingly address him as Monsieur Judge. He has a ruthless reputation, not improved by having a touch of the flu, and is about to try a case where a young man is accused of killing his baby daughter by kicking her. We are shown the preliminaries of the case, including the selection of jurors. During this process, whereby the judge picks names from a pot, the name Ditte Lorensen-Coteret comes out, causing an immediate change in the judge's demeanour. There is obviously history between them.
The trial commences and a recess is called much earlier than usual, caused it seems by Judge Racine's encounter with Ditte. When things recommence the accused, Martial Beclin, refuses to answer any questions, simply saying in response to each that he didn't kill his daughter. The trial progresses with evidence from witnesses and interventions by the lawyers for each side, but it is interesting how the judge himself also asks searching questions. Also, before each witness is dismissed from the stand the jurors are also given the opportunity to ask questions.
During a lunch break Racine contacts Ditte by SMS and eventually they arrange to meet. Apparently such a meeting between the judge and a juror is not illegal but highly unusual. It transpires that Ditte, a nurse, looked after Racine after a serious accident, following which he had effectively fallen in love with her. Attempts then to stay in contact with her had failed. He doesn't want this second encounter to end in the same way and expresses his love for her, while she remains noticeably noncommittal. At a subsequent meeting between them, Ditte's 17 year old daughter is there, having unexpectedly come to court to watch proceedings. Racine and her actually get along very well, although she does take a call when he's part way through reciting verse, prompting him to remark that she obviously wasn't impressed by the poet.
Back in the court room a young policeman gives evidence, which is robustly questioned by the defendant's lawyer. After inviting questions from the jury, Racine dismisses the witness, only to change his mind and pose more questions that turn out to change the whole complexion of the case. The ruthless judge had in fact acted very much in the defendant's interests.
The trial finishes but I won't spoil things by telling you the outcome. Racine asks Ditte if she will come back to court for the next trial, even if she's not selected as a juror. We see this trial commence with jury selection. She isn't included and leaves the court room, much to Racine's sadness. But there's a surprise and if you're a bit of a romantic you will love the ending.
Michel Racine is played by Fabrice Luchini, a performance that won him the Volpi Cup for best actor at the Venice Film Festival. Meanwhile Sidse Babett Knudson won a César award for best supporting actress as Ditte. For those of you who watch foreign TV series, Babett Knudson played Bigitte Nyborg, the Danish prime minister, in the hugely successful TV series Borgen.
The trial finishes but I won't spoil things by telling you the outcome. Racine asks Ditte if she will come back to court for the next trial, even if she's not selected as a juror. We see this trial commence with jury selection. She isn't included and leaves the court room, much to Racine's sadness. But there's a surprise and if you're a bit of a romantic you will love the ending.
Michel Racine is played by Fabrice Luchini, a performance that won him the Volpi Cup for best actor at the Venice Film Festival. Meanwhile Sidse Babett Knudson won a César award for best supporting actress as Ditte. For those of you who watch foreign TV series, Babett Knudson played Bigitte Nyborg, the Danish prime minister, in the hugely successful TV series Borgen.