Benjamin Lavernhe slips into the skin of a peaceful physiotherapist who knocks down a migrant on a mountain road.
“Les Engagés” is inspired by a true story to call for more generosity and solidarity towards migrants.
In 2018, activists nicknamed the “7 de Briançon” were condemned by the courts for having facilitated the entry into France of migrants after a demonstration at the Italian border.
They will be released in 2021.
Les Engagés
by Emilie Frèche evokes these courageous women and men by describing the journey of a fictional character played by Benjamin Lavernhe whose life changes overnight when he accidentally bumps into a young exile (Youssouf Gueye).
Supported by his wife (Julia Piaton) and by the director of a shelter (Catherine Hiegel), this uneventful physiotherapist will discover that of migrants and take sides for their cause.
“This character is the heir of the Righteous of yesterday, believes the director Emilie Frèche.
He puts his morality above the laws he considers iniquitous.
His realization will be painful, but dignified.
A generosity devoid of naivety
For her first production, the co-screenwriter of
Ciel attendra
(2016) by Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar is less interested in the migrants themselves than in the reactions they arouse.
“Solidarity is criminalized on French territory while the word “fraternity” is written in our republican motto, she insists.
This makes me very angry.
Emilie Frèche advocates civil disobedience, which is all the more important to her since her Jewish grandparents owed their salvation to people who gave them false papers during the Second World War.
This fury galvanizes
Les Engagés
when the teenager saved at the start of the film suddenly disappears, causing an emotional earthquake in the hero, determined to find him.
In superb mountain settings, often tragic destinies intertwine, leading to a necessary reflection on our humanity and on the world we want to build.
This work devoid of naivety received the public prize at the St-Jean-de-Luz festival.
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