What is it about? One morning Maureen Kearney was brutally attacked in her home. He was working on a sensitive case in the French nuclear sector and was under intense political pressure. Investigators find no trace of the attackers… Is he a victim or guilty of false denunciation?
A nasty true story
Of Irish descent, Maureen Kearney joined the multinational Areva in 1987 (which in 2018 became Orano), the flagship of the French civil nuclear industry, as an English teacher. He then became a representative of the CFDT and was characterized by a very strong commitment. In 2012, he investigated secret contracts between Areva and China involving technology transfers. Convinced that his employees are in danger, he fiercely opposes it, becoming a whistleblower, especially with politicians, which causes him to face multiple threats.
Meanwhile, Maureen Kearney is attacked by a man in her home in Ivlin. A stranger ties her up in the basement of his house, then rapes her and scars her (using a knife to write the letter A on her stomach). But investigators believe the unionist faked the attack. Thus, he is accused of “false denunciation”. He was initially acquitted by the court, and then in 2013 he was sentenced to five months of probation and a fine of 5,000 euros. Maureen Kearney appealed the decision and was eventually released in 2018.
But the culprits were not identified… a despicable case that is still being talked about today. Of course, for the release of the film La Syndicalist, but also because another woman broke her silence to testify to the same abuse she said she suffered in 2006 in her home in Yvelines (where she was tied up, raped and beaten, For example. Maureen Kearney). This is Marie-Lorraine Boquet-Pat, the wife of a former Veolia group executive who was fired after opposing the creation of a subsidiary in the Middle East. The investigation failed again and the culprit was not found.
Deputy Clémentine Auten, France Insoumise, raises a potential state scandal and calls for the opening of a parliamentary commission of inquiry into these cases.
Isabel Huppert
The birth of the project
This is a tweet in which someone mentioned journalist Caroline Michel-Aguirre’s book, SyndicalistWhich directed Jean-Paul Salome to this news that happened in late 2012. Then the director got interested and felt that there was material for the film:
“I already wanted to make a film about the whistleblower, around Irene Frachon and the mediator scandal, but it didn’t happen. Pressed by Maureen Kearney, the Areva trade unionist whose violent attack she was on. The sacrifice was powerfully dramatic.
“We went through a lot of effort to get him to drop the investigation… This woman’s journey, her prosecution, her redemption, the moments of doubt or depression she overcame was already a movie. Be more in line with American or Italian. political cinema”.
“There was also a promise of a role Isabel Huppert : output mother Recently postponed due to Covid but keen to work together again. I found pictures of Maureen Kern and immediately saw the possibility of Isabelle looking like her on screen.”
“After reading the book, I learned that the producer Bertrand Favre acquired the rights without thinking of a particular filmmaker. We agreed and so did the screenwriter Fadet Drouard And I started writing the screenplay”The director recalls.

Isabelle Hooper and Marina Foys
intimate dimension
At first, Jean-Paul Salomé met journalist Caroline Michel-Aguirre and told her what he wanted to present in his book. But beyond the facts, beyond the political and industrial issues specific to this story, the filmmaker wanted to know what Maureen Kearney experienced from the inside, what her loved ones went through and how she recovered:
“I was missing an intimate dimension. I explained this to Maureen Kearney when I met her with her husband and daughter. I told her that this would be my vision of the character that we would have with Fadette. Drouard, imagine the family scenes based on what you perceive of her relationship with her husband and daughter. We must allow ourselves to be invented.
“There were passages in the book that were intriguing: for example, one evening in the middle of the case, he drives off at night, we don’t know why or what he’s going to do. Leading to suicide? The point was that Maureen read the script: she confirmed it, and specified, That it wasn’t entirely his time, or that there wouldn’t necessarily be a reaction like that.
“But so much of the film is faithful to what happened: some of the dialogue is true to the word, especially what we hear during the two trials.”Jean-Paul Salome confides.

Pierre Deladonchamp
A concern for authenticity
For authenticity, Jean-Paul Salomé filmed in a setting where the case actually took place: Bercy, Rambouillet Hospital or the Court of Versailles (in which the former Arève workers who were present at the actual trial came in union clothes to do extra business).

Isabel Huppert
Isabelle Huppert about Maureen Kearney
For the role of Maureen Kern, Isabelle Huppert does not ask herself the question of her guilt or innocence. The actor was interested in the trouble he caused and still causes: “The character’s journey through the film is unique, from the beginning of her fight to the final scene, her brilliant testimony before the National Assembly Commission. Maureen is fighting a kind of tentacled hydra that is beyond her.”
“At the same time, he is also fighting for something very simple: to save jobs. He could let it go, but there’s a fierce desire to fight and deep down to be a bigger character than what he wants to be. was doomed. He was doomed. Being a trade unionist, he was not asked to lead an army, but he built himself a small kingdom, at the head of which he decided to reign and resist. When he arrived, he was alone against all, this is his side. Erin Brockovich ! But his choice will destroy him.”
Source: Allocine

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.