In one of the most singular scenes of goliath, by Frédéric Tellier, Patrick (Giles Lellouche), a lawyer and activist, worries about the influence of social media and post-truth. Suddenly the power of the trolls and the bots it becomes close, complicated, a subject to take into account. “They will already speak well of the poison”, the character complains. Despite the fact that the case he is involved in is actually difficult litigation in courts with little to do with the virtual world. But the director makes it clear that, in the second decade of the 21st century, justice must go through complicated paths to be fulfilled.
The script, by the same director and Simon Moutairou, is cruel in admitting that, in our time, truth is a nuance with multiple interpretations. He does it amidst the discouragement of his characters, realizing that the law is not always fair or will not be right away. goliathIn fact, it moves at all times in an ambiguous and complicated region in which circumstances must face malicious analysis. Even in something as complicated and hard as public health.
In a year when movies like she saidby Maria Schrader, brought back to the cinema the political and ethical dramas, goliath It is a powerful reflection. Particularly when the script abandons half measures and asks uncomfortable questions about the possibility that truth must face power. Under what conditions can he do it and the occasions when he can triumph in an unequal battle.
When a small town discovers that a pesticide could be causing very serious medical conditions for its inhabitants, it will try to fight. But in order to win, or at best achieve anything close to justice, you’ll need to understand the ground you’re standing on. And that is, of course, the one with the awkward lobbying, the political red herrings, and, no doubt, the battle in and out of court for credibility.
goliath
In a year when films like Maria Schrader’s She Said brought political and ethical dramas back to the cinema, Goliath is a powerful reflection. Particularly when the script abandons half measures and asks uncomfortable questions about the possibility that truth must face power. Under what conditions can he do it and the occasions when he can triumph in an unequal battle. When a small town discovers that a pesticide could be causing very serious medical conditions for its inhabitants, it will try to fight. But in order to win, or at best achieve anything close to justice, you’ll need to understand the ground you’re standing on. And that is, of course, the one with the awkward lobbying, the political red herrings, and, no doubt, the battle in and out of court for credibility.
goliath and the balance of good and evil in our time
Tellier does a wonderful job addressing the current perception of honesty and probity. the script of goliath Little by little, he shows his characters as the centers of a battle that is waged in the dark. Patrick, on the one hand, is a lawyer with a sense of legal feasibility that might seem idealistic if he weren’t so practical. At the other extreme, Matthias (Pierre Niney) is the symbol of political power that leans towards money and influence.
Of course, it is not a new optics. Although it is the way in which Tellier narrates scenarios that overlap each other. From the possibility of the truth that is verified in front of a judge, to the bed of a sick person who wonders about ethics. Slowly, goliath shows the different battles that are fought in a hostile environment in which corruption and hopelessness are linked to the sense of duty.
The director does not try to show the way in which good and evil are understood today. Rather, he delves into the nuances of it. In what the tireless lawyer thinks in his hardest moments, in the concerns of the politician in the midst of moral decisions that surpass him.
goliath It’s not a look at how to beat a gigantic foe with few weapons, although the name suggests it. In reality, it is an increasingly uncomfortable debate as to why the most personal decisions are made. Also how that affects the small and painful daily struggles.
Pain and fear as a search for ideals
The French legal system opens in several different directions to show its complicated dimensions. But goliath Avoid appearing too local. In fact, it is much more of a well-constructed reflection on What are the scenarios of the great legal battles of our time?.
Beyond, when money and influence can be the difference between success and the distortion of credibility. goliathwhich avoids making direct judgments, is much more interested in exploring the realistic possibility of beating large companies and consortia.
Definitely, Erin Brockovich, Steven Soderbergh’s bold woman, set the pace and sense of such dramas. But goliathwhich is far from the spectacularity of Hollywood, bets on the discretion of a more intimate map.
“Justice will not be born spontaneously, you have to find its roots,” says Patrick, next to the bed of a sick child. A simple image, but one that sums up the power of this film, sustained on its symbols and, beyond, on its great silent lessons.