THE TWO FACES OF JUSTICE

The two faces of justicemovie directed by Jeanne Herryis an encouraging look at restorative justice.

After opting for the César Awards for Best Film, Best Director and Best Original Screenplay for In good hands, Jeanne Herry gives us another moving title about the resistance of the human spirit, with Adèle Exarchopoulos (The life of Adele) leading an extraordinary choral cast.

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The Two Faces of Justice: Synopsis

Restorative justice offers victims and offenders the opportunity to dialogue in a safe environment, under the supervision of professionals and volunteers. Nassim, Thomas and Issa, sentenced for robbery with violence, face off against Grégoire, Nawelle and Sabine, victims of the same crime.

Meanwhile, young Chloé, a rape victim, must reconnect with her past. Along the way, they all experience anger and hope, silence and words, alliances and ruptures. Confidence restored. And, at the end of the road, perhaps, the repair of the soul.

Jeanne Herry, director

After In Good Hands, I was looking for a new project and started researching two topics that interested me: brain function and the criminal justice system. I have always been fascinated by news, trials, big names in crime and the legal profession… One day, I came across a podcast on restorative justice. At first, it intrigued me, and then it captivated me. What drew my attention to the process was precisely what motivated my brain research: repair.

What connects both things is the link. Face to face, victims and aggressors can share their emotions and experiences, and forge a new relationship in which empathy sometimes prevails over fear. This repair through collective action and recreation has much in common with the plasticity of the brain, which allows it to repair itself by recreating connections.

Restorative justice suddenly became a playing field; the ideal setting to write a powerful film, with scenes full of psychological action and plenty of space for dialogue. Everything I like. During my research, one of the people I met told me, “The goal of restorative justice is to release emotions through words.” That was what I wanted to dramatize.

Some of the characters belong to the legal profession or to associations, and their commitment to restorative justice seems to give new meaning to their profession. It is probably because they go against the current of our time. It is very far from the hysteria of debates, divisions, constant confrontations and the merriment that falls like an open faucet. It’s quite the opposite: a time when seemingly irreconcilable people can come face to face to rediscover listening. And to allow them to be protagonists of their own lives again.

The Two Faces of Justice: Trailer