Tonight on TV: the other great test film of 2023

The Goldman triala search for truth and humanity

The year 2023 dedicated the immense success of to director Justine TrietAnatomy of a fall. Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, Golden Globe and Oscar for best original screenplay, six Césars obtained out of eleven nominations… One historic triumph which consolidated the prestigious status of French cinema in the world. But which has also, despite itself, overshadowed other formidable results. In particular to the film by Cédric Kahn The Goldman trialfilm adaptation of the second trial and acquittal of the far-left activist and bandit Pierre Goldmannin Amiens in 1976.

UnlikeAnatomy of a fall, The Goldman trial it’s a behind closed doors within the walls of the courthouse, with the exception of an introductory sequence in the office of his lawyer Georges Kiejman. The device is therefore very technical and represents a challenge: it is essentially up to the actors – in particular Arieh Worthalter in the role of Pierre Goldman, Arthur Harari in the role of Georges Kiejman and Nicolas Briançon in the role of the lawyer Henri-René Garaud – to establish a truth which Cédric Khan’s camera then tries to capture (here is our review).

In April 1976, the second trial began against Pierre Goldman, a far-left activist, sentenced in the first instance to life imprisonment for four armed robberies, one of which resulted in the death of two pharmacists. He proclaims his innocence in this latest affair and in a few weeks he becomes the icon of the intellectual left. He is defended by Georges Kiejman, a young lawyer. Very quickly, their relationship becomes strained. Goldman, elusive and provocative, risks the death penalty and makes the outcome of the trial uncertain.

An important performance and great critical success

Bringing together more than 350,000 spectators in French cinemas, The Goldman trial stands out above all on a critical level, with a unanimous press noting the film’s many great qualities, chief among them the performance of lead actor Arieh Worthalter. He was thus nominated eight times for the 2024 César, winning the César for best actor for Arieh Worthalter, author of a performance of rare intensity and precision. It should be noted that Arthur Harari is also nominated this evening at César for best supporting actorand during which he won the César for best original screenplay for Anatomy of a fallof which it is co-writer and actor.

“He is not defending Goldman’s skin, but his own skin”

Met at the Angoulême Festival 2023, where he presented The Goldman trial as a preview, Cédric Kahn shared with us his testimony on Arieh Worthalter’s work for this role.

“It’s a great actor meeting a great role. I’m very obsessive in choosing actors. If I don’t feel it, if I find that there is too much distance between the actor and the role… I don’t have much faith in the composition, in the production. I need to feel that the actor will be inspired by the role, that he will be able to carry the character within himself. But once I have this confidence, I entrust the role to the actor, I don’t like to interfere too much in his internal “chemistry”. Arieh was very innate, worked like crazy, read books and knew the text like the back of his hand. Which for a film like this is fundamental.“

I saw him do it and I said to myself, “He’s not defending Goldman’s skin, but his own skin.” I felt very inhabited by his character, so I didn’t say much. It made his life difficult from time to time. He wanted to do another take and I didn’t think it was as good. So I told him, “Arieh, you’re making your life difficult. Your first instinct is the right one.” My role was rather to calm him down, give him confidence and film him as much as possible.

Source: Cine Serie

Ray

Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.