Goliath: a dive into the heart of an environmentalist struggle
Released in 2022, Goliath by Frédéric Tellier is part of the lineage of social thrillers that question the great contemporary injustices. The film highlights three intertwined trajectories around an environmental issue related to fictitious pesticide called tetrazine.
France (Emmanuelle Bercot), a staunch environmental activist, is leading a fierce campaign to ban this product accused of causing cancer. For his part, Patrick (Gilles Lellouche), a lawyer specializing in environmental law, is caught in a… difficult legal battle against the agrochemical giants. Finally, Mathias (Pierre Niney), a talented but cynical lobbyist, finds himself at the center of political maneuvers to protect his company’s economic interests.
With this scenario, Frédéric Tellier explores the games of influence, power struggles and the human impact of decisions made in often opaque environments.
Is the film inspired by a true story?
If Goliath is not a direct adaptation of real events, but is largely inspired by well-known health scandals, particularly that of glyphosate, a controversial herbicide used in agriculture. This chemical product, at the center of international debates, has been the subject of multiple experiments, especially against Monsantoagrochemical giant. The story of Monsanto documentsrevealed in 2017, it exposed questionable lobbying practices and attempts to influence science and regulations to maintain glyphosate’s authorization.
Frédéric Tellier said he relied on several years of research to write the script. The character of France, for example, evokes the many activists and farmers who fight every day to denounce the dangers of pesticides. Patrick, for his part, represents them hired lawyers in often titanic public health cases that multinationals find themselves facing. Finally, the role of Mathias, played brilliantly by Pierre Niney, reflects the reality of lobbyists, who juggle strategy, morality and economic pressures.
AS, Goliath it does not tell a specific story, but draws on a set of facts and testimonies to offer an imaginary story, anchored to a complex and credible reality. In this, the film acts as a mirror of the ecological and legal battles of our time, posing an essential question: how to reconcile economic progress and the protection of public health?
Source: Cine Serie
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