“This is a documentary series”: is the infiltration realistic? Is there an infiltration in France? The screenwriter answers

Infiltré(e), which airs every Monday night on France 2, Audrey Fleuro plays Aurel, a chemist in the national police who has to infiltrate a drug network to protect her son. He works alongside Commissioner Max Vernet, played by Thierry Newick, who will try to protect him while he risks his life to complete the mission. Along the way, he encounters the mysterious Jesus (played by Sumay Cárdenas, returning to his unusual casting), who runs a chain from Marseille.

Does French-style infiltration really exist?

If the Americans got us used to the infiltration series, in France this topic is very rarely addressed by screenwriters. And for good reason, there’s very little infiltration of the French police, as screenwriter Frédéric Crivin told us.

“The Americans, the British and even the Israelis are infiltrating and planting agents on a long-term basis. It doesn’t work like that in France at all. The French police find a source they think is interesting and they bribe him to work with them. “Sometimes there is infiltration, but it is short-term.”

“SIAT (Inter-Ministerial Technical Assistance Service, Editor’s Note) will send an agent to act as a dealer for a day, have a new name, set up meetings, and return home at the end of the day.“Therefore, Orel’s story is actually incredible and was invented by the screenwriter from the beginning.

“This is not a documentary series, but a documentary series“- claimed the screenwriter who previously worked on the historical series Un Village Français. So the goal was not to offer a realistic series, but to offer fiction that would appeal to as many people as possible.

“We are playwrights. We don’t make slow, realistic shows like The Wire. It’s one of the biggest shows of recent years, but half the audience lost their minds within the first few episodes. Settlement takes time. At France 2, we couldn’t do that.”

Find two new, unreleased episodes of Infiltré(e) this Monday, October 2, from 21:10 on France 2.