Original subtitles

Prelude in C minor BWV 999 (Johann Sebastian Bach)

* Radio news

Ring

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Court.

- The criminal hearing is now in session. Please be seated.

Inaudible discussions

- No, Ryan!

She screams. - That's my blankie!

- Ouch! - Time to eat!

Time to eat!

Hubbub

We knock.

- Hello, dear. Is your father here? - Yes, he's here.

Dad?

- Nicolas Milik? - Yes?

- You are arrested for voluntary manslaughter of your wife.

- Intentional homicide? - Please follow us.

- What did I do?

Oh!

I can't leave my kids.

Melancholy music

- Daddy!

- Last week, a kid died for pot.

I'm afraid for my son, Master.

He's going to screw up his life with his friends.

Talk to him. He's all I've got. He'll listen to you.

- I'll try.

- What about my VAT problem? - I'm the business.

- I'll send you my fee. - No, I'll send you my fee.

Goodbye, then. - Thank you for your time.

* Estudio N°3 (Agustin Barrios Mangoré)

- I can't believe you still have that painting.

- It's a gift.

- I know, I know, I know. I gave it to you.

- For our first year of marriage. - Yes.

- You bought it from your friends who had this gallery.

- No, I didn't. No, I bought it at.

Aix.

- No, you bought it here.

- No, it's not. - Yes.

Phone

Ah. - Is this you?

- No, it's you.

- Yes?

Nothing that can't wait until tomorrow?

OK.

I'll call you back.

The gendarmerie for an ex-officio commission.

She sighs.

Obviously, I'm the only one to answer at this hour.

- Are you going? - I don't really have a choice.

Sigh

But tonight, I would have settled down.

Would you do me this favor?

- Oh no. - Just for tonight.

- No, you can't. - You can do

custody. I'll pick up the case tomorrow.

Come on, Jean. Come on, Jean.

He laughs.

- Ouch, ouch, ouch.

Because it's you.

- Thank you.

- Don't go home.

Sleep here, it's ridiculous.

- No, I prefer it.

I prefer my bed.

Sizzling

- Thank you.

- Master. - How do you do?

- It's 12:30 a.m. You have 30 minutes.

- Can you untrain it, sir? - Of course, sir.

- I am Maître Monier, court-appointed lawyer.

- I don't know why we're meeting.

- Don't know why why you're here?

- I'm accused of killing my wife.

- No one is accusing you. You're in custody.

There's a doubt, a suspicion.

The gendarmes need information for the investigation.

- Why don't I go out?

- The facts are serious. They can keep you for 48 hours.

We'll leave it at that.

Tell me in detail what happened last night.

- I've already explained.

- Now you have to explain it to me.

- I don't belong here. I should be with my kids.

He sighs.

- Mr. Milik, in order for me to help you, you have to talk to me a little.

- Last night, my wife and I we had a fight.

- Why?

- She'd had one too many again.

I told her I was worried about her.

That's all there is to it.

She flipped out, told me: "I do what I want."

- What next?

- She yelled at me to get out of the house.

I said it was my place too.

She wanted to slap me.

I dodged, but...

She did scratch me, though.

- Was she violent with you? - No, she wasn't.

Well, only when she drinks too much.

Whenever I talk to her about drinking, it pisses her off.

She's got a hard head.

- Were you violent with her?

- I never laid a hand on her.

She's the mother of my children.

And we're not the same size.

- After she tried to slap you, what did you do?

- I told him I wouldn't move from here.

And that...

I spoke words that...

You know how it is with arguments.

- What exactly did you say?

- Keep her mouth shut.

I was afraid she'd wake up the little ones.

She left, I begged her to stay.

But nothing could be done.

I don't like it when she tanks on her bench.

- Which bench?

- When she's drunk,

she goes to the bench in the village square.

Two minutes from home.

- And she went there?

- Yes, well, I think so. I just...

It hurts me to see it damaged like this.

I don't recognize her anymore.

It's not good for children.

Since she's been drinking, she doesn't care anymore.

Impossible to reason with her.

- Yes, I understand.

After he left, what did you do?

- I checked we hadn't woken the little ones.

They were asleep. I went to Roger's.

- Roger's?

- My friend Roger's bar.

A five-minute walk away.

- What time was it?

- Around 11pm.

- Have you been drinking? - A glass of milk.

- No alcohol? - I don't drink, I've never liked it.

- Were there other people?

- Roger, his wife, but she went to bed.

Roland,

Rachid and Karim.

We don't talk too much.

- What time did you get home?

- Around 00:30, 1 a.m.

Approx.

Roger and I had a chat and I went home.

- Your wife wasn't home. That didn't worry you?

- He sometimes to fall asleep on his bench.

- Outside, like this, on the bench, in winter?

- It happens.

- When the gendarmes came, she still hadn't returned.

You weren't worried either?

- Her sister Audrey often picks her up.

And in general, she returns the next evening.

- Does his sister live far away?

- Le Pontet. Near Avignon.

- Had your wife had any trouble with the locals?

- Ah, no.

- Someone with whom with?

- No, I don't.

- If you have nothing to do with it,

someone must have a reason.

Think about it. Please help me.

- I swear, I don't know.

I don't know, I swear. I don't.

I want my children back, my wife back.

I'm going crazy here.

Sobs

Mysterious music

Mysterious music

- Gentlemen. - Good day to you.

- Hello, Jean.

Mr. Salah? - I'm Mr. Salah.

Door - Excuse me.

Oh!

You didn't sleep? - No, I haven't.

Did you read the article?

- Don't you want to go home and rest? - No, I don't want to.

Did you read the article?

- Yes, yes.

It's horrible.

What did you think of this guy?

- No record or history.

He's neither a credible culprit

nor an obvious innocent.

- What state was he in?

- Nervous, clueless.

Worried about his children more than for himself.

He doesn't understand, he's in denial.

He talks about his wife in the present tense.

I'm curious to see the...

the file.

- You want to defend him?

- Yes.

- You didn't plead

since the Portal case. How does it feel?

15 years old?

- How can I defend you if you don't tell me everything?

- What are you talking about? - I've seen the investigation file.

Roger's words, on the night of the crime.

That's the first thing that had to be said.

I can't find out these things five minutes before seeing the judge.

- Roger, what are you doing here?

I didn't say anything against you.

Roger!

Roger!

- Mr. Milik,

the evening before the event,

you went to the café of Mr Roger Marton.

How did he react when he saw you arrive?

- I wasn't well.

- Please speak into the microphone, Mr. Milik.

- He saw that I wasn't well.

He realized it was because of Cecile. We were fighting.

- Tell us about the events that followed.

- I sat down at the bar.

I recounted my argument.

- This is the last one, we're closing.

All right? Thank you for your time.

- She's a sick woman.

If she doesn't stop drinking, send her to the FDA.

You'll be fine.

- I can't do this.

- Too good, too stupid.

No wonder she crushes you. - She doesn't crush me.

She's got character. - Roger,

stop meddling.

- We're talking. - Let him be.

I'm going to bed.

- See you soon.

- If it wasn't for the kids, I'd have fucked myself.

- Are you crazy?

- Ah, I knew it! - Oh!

We can't hear each other!

- You're the only one we can hear. - This is my place.

Your Cécile is no picnic.

You're better.

- A sinecure?

- An affair. She's drunk.

- It's not her fault. - Not his fault?

Whose fault is that?

If tomorrow she takes you away

your kids, it's not his fault?

How will you protect them from her if you're gone?

- I wouldn't know. - You said it.

You'll screw yourself.

You let yourself be killed, step on your face.

You're like a kid, you look at her.

You're not a man.

Do you want my picture?

I'll tell you what, if I were you,

it's been a while since.

- What what? - I understand myself.

Hubbub

Okay, we're closing.

- Mr. Milik, during your three years on remand,

you have appointed Mr Roger Marton

as your friend.

Is it fair to say that you admired him?

- He was my only friend.

He sobs.

- Mr. Milik?

- Yes, yes, sorry.

Excuse me.

- If he was your only friend, his opinion counted.

Right?

You didn't want to disappoint him.

- Yeah, not disappoint him.

- When Roger suggested to kill your wife,

he wasn't out of line?

- I didn't take it seriously.

When he was drunk, he wanted to kill everyone.

He barked, but didn't bite.

- When he said you weren't a man,

Didn't that hurt your feelings?

You didn't want to prove otherwise?

- My client is not a child.

He wouldn't kill his wife to get his friend's approval.

- Master, you'll have time to express yourself.

Please continue. - I beg your pardon.

- Mr. Milik, six months ago,

you've consulted a lawyer for a divorce?

- To find out more.

- What are the for this approach?

- Cécile drank too much.

It was getting dangerous for Emma and Maël.

They were very small.

- You had

considered getting rid of her.

Legally, I mean.

- No, I didn't.

I didn't want to take my children away from her.

- You've seen the lawyer twice.

- You can love someone and divorce them.

- You can love someone and kill them.

That's all, thank you.

- Counsel for the defense.

- Mr. Milik, when you inquired

on divorce proceedings,

what did this colleague tell you about looking after your children?

- As if we were going before a judge,

there's a good chance that I'll get custody.

- Because of his alcoholism, I presume.

You don't drink.

And yet..,

if you were divorced and obtained custody,

your wife would have kept the house you were living in, wouldn't she?

- Cécile owns the house. Inherited from her father.

- Who bequeathed the usufruct to him.

He also bequeathed bare ownership to your sister-in-law,

Audrey Girard, who currently occupies it.

In other words,

even if you hadn't been indicted for the murder,

your sister-in-law

would have inherited his house and you would have had to move out.

Do we have a deal? - Yes, we are.

- You knew that murdering your wife

wouldn't have let you inherit his house.

Let's go back to the interview you had with the...

the colleague

regarding divorce proceedings.

If you had started it, what would have happened financially?

No, I.

Compared to the child benefit you received

to raise your children.

- I would have had them.

As with the guard.

- Would these sums have enabled you to a roof over your head

and provide for their needs? - Yes, we can.

- You could say that a divorce

would have been easy and in your favour?

- Hm.

- In addition, your wife

had she taken out life insurance? - No, she hadn't.

- Did she have any savings?

- She had nothing

his half of the house.

- Half went to his sister

and your children in the event of your sister-in-law's death.

To recap,

your wife's death

would have brought you you nothing but grief.

Thank you, Mr. Milik.

- Thank you, Master.

Prelude and Fugue No.2 in C minor (Johann Sebastian Bach)

- ... for his children, for Élodie,

for Jade, for Ryan,

for Maël and Emma. That they receive this...

strength and consolation.

Hail Mary, full of grace,

the Lord is with you,

you are blessed among all women

and Jesus, the fruit of your womb,

is blessed.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us.

- Stop, leave me alone.

Please don't touch me.

Who do you think you are?

- Let's go home, kids.

The priest sings.

Prelude and Fugue No.2 in C minor (Johann Sebastian Bach)

Ominous music

Doorbell

*- Yes? - It's for the visiting room.

Click

If you refuse to see the reconstruction,

it will work against you.

Why don't you want to go?

- What difference does it make, anyway?

- Think of your children.

- If I can't see them.

- We're reapplying for a visit. I saw the social services.

- Do you have children?

- Yes.

I'd like to clarify a few points.

Like this mud story

on your shoes and pants.

The expert reports that the same marks were found on Roger and Cécile's clothes.

How to explain it?

- I don't know.

And I'm not going to the reenactment because I didn't do anything.

What day is it?

- It's Saturday.

- When the weather was good, we went to Alder Pond with Ryan.

Roger lent me his equipment.

I was going to give him his 1st fishing rod with a beautiful reel.

Within two years. He's still a bit young.

- If you help me, in two years, you'll be out.

*Pavane Op 50 (Gabriel Fauré)

Barking

- What's it for?

- I'm Mr Monier. Your brother-in-law's lawyer.

I have to get some of his things.

- He'll get nothing.

Barking

- Ms. Girard, if you have anything to say,

I'm happy to listen.

He doesn't necessarily tell me everything.

- Malo, get lost. Go on, beat it.

Go away.

Did you see how pretty she was?

She wasn't always the wreck she's become.

She was a coquette when she worked at the town hall.

She loved to laugh and...

dance.

Before she met this creep.

Because...

you defend him,

but he's a creep.

I'm not saying that he didn't make her happy for a while,

but these children he made for her...

He ate his life away.

When our father died, it was a shock.

It's as if she had no one to protect her.

Little by little, she got drunker and drunker.

I was ashamed

and bad to get her back on that bench, in this state.

She confided nothing of her life to me.

I used to tell him:

"Stay at my place."

She loved her children. Even if she took care of them badly.

A window opens.

Thunder rumbles.

- Give him photos of his family.

It'll hurt him like it hurts me.

Now beat it.

- You don't like what I stand for. - I don't care.

If he pulls through, my sister's memory of my sister will keep you awake at night.

Hammering

- The victim died around 2 a.m,

on the night of Wednesday 19 to Thursday, February 20, 2017,

plus or minus thirty minutes.

These photos were taken about seven hours after the crime.

- Traces of alcohol in the blood?

- Yes. From examination and dating,

she had 4.1 grams of alcohol per liter of blood.

A single wound on the neck.

The cut was caused by a sharp object

with serrated blade,

survival-knife type.

Dissection reports

section of the right carotid artery.

The blade pierced the neck on the right posterior face, in À.

She continued on her way to the left posterior face,

sectioning the carotid artery, in B.

According to the wound examination, the blow,

unique and fatal, was carried with force,

and from the rear.

- Madam Chairwoman, one question, please.

- Go ahead.

- Mr. Expert, the blow went from right to left

and from behind.

Could you physically the assassin's gestures?

- The expert will abstain. He's not a mime.

- With your permission, I'll do it.

I have a deep admiration for the a deep admiration.

Laughter - Go ahead.

- Thank you very much.

Mr. Expert, could you, please,

describe while I'm doing it?

- Go ahead. - Uh, well, then.

The assassin was behind the victim, he immobilized her with one hand.

- With one hand.

Like this? - Yes.

He plunged the blade of the knife in her throat with his other hand.

- Like this?

Thank you very much.

If the stroke was from right to left,

can we say that this is the work of a left-hander?

- Probably.

- Thank you very much.

- Thank you, Master, for your performance.

There's a path open to you for retraining.

Laughter

Mr. Expert, please continue.

He clears his throat.

- The horizontal shape of the wound and blood

on the victim's knees indicate that she was standing.

- Are there any other lesions?

- No, no lesions.

Neither defense nor dragging.

- Madam Chairwoman,

I have a question. - Please go ahead.

- In the absence of such traces,

the victim was dropped off at the scene

by someone who was familiar to him?

- It's a possibility, yes.

- That's all, thank you.

- Mrs Marton,

the evening before the event, did you hear the accused

express the wish to end his life with his wife?

- Not that I know of.

This is the last one, we're closing.

- And your husband?

- She's a sick woman.

If she doesn't stop drinking, put her on the DDASS.

You'll be fine.

- I can't do this.

- He gave Nicolas some advice.

Nothing to be alarmed about. - Don't be surprised if it crushes you.

- She doesn't crush me, she has character.

- Roger, stop meddling.

- We're just talking. - Leave him alone.

I went upstairs to bed.

Soft music

- You didn't sleep right away.

- No, I demagged myself.

And then,

I got into bed with a book.

I heard

the metal curtain, it was 1 a.m.

Squeaking

- Laure.

- Yes?

- Laure.

- Take a Doliprane in the bathroom.

Inaudible comments

What are you talking about? What are you talking about?

- What did he say?

- He said:

"I fucking did it, I did it."

Hubbub

- Silence.

Quiet, please.

- Mrs Marton, did your husband did he tell you

what he had done?

- No, he didn't say anything else.

He'd had too much to drink.

He fell asleep 30 seconds later.

- And the next day?

- No.

He stayed in bed in the morning.

He told me he didn't want to open the door, as he was ill.

I said, "Okay."

- In your opinion, what did he do between 1 a.m,

when Nicolas Milik left the bar,

and 3:15, the time at which he joined you

in the bedroom?

- I don't know.

I never knew.

- Less than 24 hours

after the fact,

the gendarmes arrested your husband.

Can you tell us what they discovered?

- He's got a gun. Doesn't work.

And he also

a war knife.

- Who looks like what?

- He who, on the handle, has...

finger holes.

- A brass knuckle? - Yes, that's it.

It's quite big.

- Got it. It was in the bar, under the sink.

- I'll ask you again,

what did your husband tell the gendarmes at his first hearing?

- That he hadn't done anything special.

- Anything else?

Let me remind you.

He said that between Mr. Milik's departure and his arrival in your room,

he had tidied up the bar.

- For two hours?

- Maybe I've been watching TV.

- Didn't bring your car?

- I was completely drunk.

If I'd taken my car, I'd have smashed it.

- You have

a survival knife?

- Affirmative.

- Do you know where it is?

- In the garage.

With my memories of the army.

- Why was it found under the sink in the bar?

Sigh

- At some point, I think I took it.

- Really?

- Ask my wife.

Drunk, I lock myself in my studio.

I put on my uniform.

Some evenings, I wear my beret, it makes the customers laugh.

- All right.

You took your knife and went into the bar.

- If you found it in the bar, yes.

- Did you clean it?

- No.

- It was found wet with traces of washing-up liquid.

- I washed it. What do you want me to say?

- Here it is. You'll understand my doubts

about your husband's hearing.

Soft music

Madam President, could you ask

seal breaker number seven?

- Bailiff?

- Do you recognize this knife, Mrs. Marton?

- It's my husband's.

- It features the same characteristics

than the one used in the crime.

Serrated blade, similar length.

On the other hand,

analysis report reveals Roger Marton's DNA

on the handle and also a tiny one.

particle of flesh between handle and blade.

Unfortunately,

too small to detect the date

and provenance.

I have one final question, Mrs Marton.

What handwriting did your husband use?

- Left.

- Let me conclude by pointing out that my client is right-handed.

Thank you.

- Excuse me, Master.

Your insinuation is is pure interpretation.

I see it an incriminating factor for the accused.

In the event Mr. Milik had killed his wife,

he could have called on his right-handed strength

to immobilize it

and the blow was struck by his left hand.

- Given the depth of the wound,

he wouldn't have been able to thrust the blade with his weak arm.

- Master, we're not here to judge a contest of strength.

Laughter

Intriguing music

- What are you drawing, Emma?

- Dad's prison.

With us in front, if we can ever see him again.

- Yeah, that's good.

Jade?

Didn't you draw anything for Dad?

Jade?

Knocking. - Children, it's playtime.

- No, no, stay.

Have a seat.

Jade's not getting better, is she?

- No, she's still not talking.

But she played with children, last week.

What did they say about the release?

- The request was rejected again.

Your dad asked me to tell you

that he loved you very much and found you...

very brave, that he missed you terribly.

- Do you think we'll be able to see it?

- Visits are complicated.

Have you thought about about what I asked you?

To testify?

- No, I don't want to.

- Why should I? It would do your father for your father to testify.

- I'm ashamed.

- Mud contains the same pollution components

than on your street.

But no trace of pollution in the mud at the Van Gogh bridge,

at the first appraisal.

In fact, on this point, you are totally discharged.

- Thank you, Master.

- You'll have to enlighten me on the nature

the relationship between your wife and Roger.

- Again with Roger?

- If I can't prove that he was familiar to Cécile,

we'll remember that she let herself be carried away

as an argument against you.

- It doesn't mean a thing.

She'd been drinking. Anyone could have taken her.

- Yes, but...

we have no other suspects.

Understand, it's not about him, but for you.

Did your wife frequented Roger's bar?

- It's happened before.

- What was he like with her?

- Good, correct.

- Did she know that he was your best friend?

- Hm.

- Well, that's that. We're making progress.

Say.

Here, from Élodie.

- It was quite a wedding.

Cécile's father was still alive.

He liked me.

He had argued

with Audrey who didn't want to come.

- She didn't want to come?

- It was too fast.

- Did you get married quickly? - Two months after we met.

- How did you meet?

- It was Bastille Day.

She had a... soft thing in her eyes.

I couldn't stop looking at her.

At one point, she saw me.

She asked me what was wrong with me.

I said, "Nothing."

And that I thought she was pretty.

And then I asked her to dance.

- Did she accept? - Yep.

I couldn't believe it.

We went to dinner.

We had talked a lot.

It felt good.

She too lost her mother when she was a child.

I took her home.

As we get out of the car,

I tried to kiss her.

And as she let herself be...

I thought maybe I'd never be alone never be alone again.

- Me Monier

explained to you? - Yes, he did.

Jean informed me in detail.

- They beat him up because he let them go.

He doesn't want to touch their traffic anymore.

I'm afraid for my son.

He's a talented young bullfighter.

He's going to throw his life away.

You have to help me reason with him.

He wants to withdraw his complaint.

- Jean?

What's up with you?

Jean?

Hey, hey...

- Oh, it's nothing.

I had one.

a little hot. I'm fine. I'm fine.

- Are you feeling better? - Yes. I'm better. It's nothing, really.

- Shall I call a doctor? - No, no, it's nothing.

- You scared me earlier.

You were white as a sheet.

Why are you smiling? - Expression.

White as a sheet. My mother used to say that.

- I'm not your mother.

But I'm telling you that you should take care of yourself.

You work too hard.

You're wearing yourself out.

I haven't seen you like this since Portal.

- Nothing to see. There's no proof.

The whole case is a sham.

- So you think he's innocent?

- That's not the point.

I'm just talking about my defense. I want to believe in my arguments.

- But can you admit that you're wrong?

- But I can admit that I'm wrong, yes.

Soft music

- I have excellent news.

Ms Diallo from social services contacted me.

Élodie agrees to testify.

If her father agrees,

she'll be a witness. - Great.

- Maître Monier?

I've learned a lot.

Does Portal ring a bell?

- Madam, please.

- The great lawyer who pardoned Portal the old man killer.

- Madam, that's enough.

- What did Portal do?

as soon as it's released?

He killed again and again.

- Come on, it's okay.

- Come on, asshole!

Go do your dirty work!

- Your daughter Élodie must come and testify.

- Testify to what?

- That she needs you.

She is responsible of her four brothers and sisters.

- I don't want to.

- You don't understand.

If I write a request, the president can't say no.

- She can't see this.

- She's tall.

- I don't want her to see me here.

After three years,

I don't want to. Ring

I don't want to.

- You confirm. No trace of DNA, no trace of Nicolas Milik

nor Cécile Milik

found in Mr. Marton's vehicle? vehicle?

- Exactly. - And on the body?

- The autopsy revealed the presence of

of Nicolas Milik's DNA only.

- This is normal, as the victim's husband.

- You're right.

But one detail alters this sense of normality.

Mr. Gendarme, what the autopsy report reveals

about the victim's fingernails?

- Under the nails of the right middle and right ring finger,

the forensic pathologist found a micro crust of blood

belonging to Mr. Milik.

- As stipulated in the minutes of my client's of my client's hearing,

shortly before the tragedy, they argued

and Mrs. Milik tried to slap my client.

She scratched his neck.

- Stop interrupting Ms Advocate General.

Let her lead the interrogation.

- Thank you, Madame President.

That's not what I'm interested in.

Mr. Constable, please continue.

- We found under the nail of his right index finger

a tiny residue of blue thread.

- You're probably thinking of the bright blue suit

worn by Mr. Milik, according to witnesses

the evening before the event.

- And found curled up at the foot of the bed

during the search of his home.

- My next question is for the defendant.

Mr. Milik, you weren't wearing a jacket during that argument with your wife.

How was it possible to find under her fingernail?

- I don't know.

- If you weren't wearing your jacket,

as you reported in the minutes of the hearing,

how this thread ended up under the fingernail after a slap,

in the same way

than your blood?

Your wife couldn't pull a thread out of your pants.

It seems impossible that she would stoop to punch you in the face.

- I don't know. Maybe I was wearing my jacket.

- Oh no.

M. le gendarme, remind us the accused's exact words

at the hearing about his outfit

during his altercation with his wife.

- He said he was wearing his shirt in his blue suit pants.

Not his jacket.

- Not his jacket. On the other hand,

which is more likely,

is that she struggled on understanding your intention

near the Van Gogh bridge.

She would have taken it out on you.

That would explain the blue wire

and your blood. - I could also have

me at the time about what I was wearing, in my hearing.

- Even if you were wearing it,

you say that the argument took place around 10pm.

Is it possible

a residual thread

stay under a nail for so long without dislodging?

If the victim was killed around 2 a.m,

that's still four hours.

- Counsel for the defense.

- I'll start by answering to the Advocate General.

My client has absolutely no reason

to remember what he was wearing that evening.

- He remembered the next day.

- Today, 3 years apart,

it was an evening like any other night.

He has no reason

to remember what he was wearing.

It's as if I were asking him

what he was wearing on December 22, 2016, for example.

- Now that I remember.

It was the school Christmas party.

I had on my gray pinstripe suit.

My favorite.

Laughter

- Master,

it would be wiser to leave it to the gendarme.

- Annie?

Are you pleading today?

- Yes.

And I just lost.

Your little bullfighter got 3 years for drug trafficking.

- Nicolas' daughter

must come and testify.

- Did you hear what I said?

- Yes, yes, the little bullfighter.

I'll talk to her father.

- I don't think that's his priority.

- Oh, Annie...

Do you have time for a coffee?

- Yes. I do. But you don't.

Kiss

Click

- Mr. Milik?

Bonjour, monsieur. Put the dough down.

I'd like to announce the death of Mr. Marton.

He was found dead in his cell.

I'm sorry, sir.

- He coughed up blood all night long.

No one came to help him.

They let him die like a dog.

- Nicolas, this is painful for you,

but it will help us.

- No, Master.

It can't be.

- Let me list for you of the charges against him?

Why are you blocking? - He's my friend.

- Last month, at the judge's, he said he hadn't seen you

go home.

He said witnesses had seen

your car to the Van Gogh bridge.

- He was protecting himself.

- Don't give me that loyalty crap.

Let me defend you.

- But Laure... - But what? What, Laure?

Would you rather shame her or life in prison?

- All right, Master, go ahead.

- I have learned of your client's disappearance.

Please accept my regrets. - To his widow

to offer your condolences.

I assume it's not compassion that brings you here.

- You presume correctly, my dear colleague.

- Let's spare ourselves the niceties.

- Very well. I sincerely believe

that my client is innocent.

- Why?

- Beyond the file, is the death of Mr. Marton.

Before that,

I thought he feared it, protecting him.

But even after his death, he continued to devote

unwavering loyalty.

He thinks he's innocent.

- Are you saying that my client would have been the culprit?

- That's why I'm here.

It's tricky,

but in secret

of your conversations,

didn't he confess to you?

If that's the case,

we would ask from the bâtonniers

the lifting of professional secrecy so that you can

attend as a witness. - Get out of my office.

Get out or I'll have you disbarred.

Step out.

Get out!

Squeaking

Get out!

Sad music

Door

- Why did you go to Montel to get information from him?

- Roger Marton died yesterday.

- I know.

He told me everything and said that that he would have denounced you

if we hadn't pleaded together, he and I.

- Yes, it was risky.

But it was worth a try.

In his place, I wouldn't have hesitated.

- Are you out of your mind?

- Don't tell me that no colleague has ever tried to do this.

- I don't give a damn about the others. You're the one who almost got disbarred.

- I want to avoid a miscarriage of justice.

An innocent man could end his life in prison.

- You see? You're making this personal.

- It hasn't changed version in 3 years.

Not a confession, nothing.

What would you have thought?

- Probably like you.

Except that I keep a cool head.

I don't close myself off to the world when I'm fighting injustice.

Shit!

- Who's talking to me?

My partner or my wife?

- Your friend, Jean!

I know your tendency to isolate yourself when you're vulnerable.

- Stop putting yourself in my shoes!

But it's boring!

I'm pleading in less than two months!

I don't need this, Annie!

Door slamming

- I was at my grandmother's when I saw the call for witnesses.

I remembered tonight, near the bridge.

- What did you see?

- It was 2 o'clock.

I was going home. I mean, to my parents.

I saw a big car at a standstill, near the Van Gogh bridge.

Headlights on.

- Where exactly?

- Across the bridge, on the canal.

I was heading for Arles.

- Mr. Clerk.

Was it one of these vehicles?

- I can't say.

With the headlights on, we couldn't see a thing.

- What did you see?

- Two silhouettes behind the car.

In front of the wide-open trunk.

- Describe us

silhouette morphologies.

- It's just an impression,

but the person who was rummaging in the trunk

was bigger.

We couldn't see the other one.

- So...

I'd like to point out that Roger Marton is 10 cm taller than the victim.

As for my client, he's only 4 cm taller than his wife.

- Any questions? Any questions? - No questions.

- I went by there around 2am.

- What did you see?

- A big, dark car.

Parked near the old bridge, full headlights.

It's unusual to see a car parked there.

I thought it was a breakdown.

I slowed down to see.

No one was at the wheel.

The trunk was open.

There were two people

in the car's ass.

- Did you stop? - Yes, we did.

They were thirty meters away from me.

So I saw movement.

There were two people standing.

And.

a third person on the ground,

at their feet, arms in the air.

Hubbub

- Silence,

please.

What did you do next?

- I left again.

I thought of young people who had been drinking

and the one on the ground was puking.

- But you called the gendarmerie 8 days later.

- Seeing

the call for witnesses in my newspaper which I read every morning.

- Mr,

the person's arms in the air,

didn't it seem to you a gesture of distress?

- It looked like a drunk

who's had a broken neck and wants help.

- No strange noises?

Screams, for example?

* Radio in background

- I was listening to my radio.

The windows were closed, so...

no.

- Do you have a standing for standing people?

- Not really, no.

- And the person on the ground?

* Radio in background

- No, not anymore.

- Thank you, that's all.

- Counsel for the defense.

- Yes, thank you.

Monsieur, are you a junk dealer? - Antique dealer.

- Yes, antique dealer.

The night you passed by the bridge road,

you said in your testimony

return from the Nîmes flea market WHERE you had a stand.

You must have arrived in Nîmes early.

- At 7 a.m. for the installation, yes.

- And you'd leave in the evening at 2 a.m.

- I closed at 8pm.

We went to dinner with friends.

- Did you drink at this dinner?

- Oh, nothing.

Two or three glasses.

But I see your point.

I know what I saw.

- What you saw

in the blindness of the headlights, drunk,

after a working day 18-hour working day,

what YOU saw without hearing,

this distressed figure on the ground,

could have been a stump, brushwood.

And arms in the air,

branches.

- Oh... I can tell a bush from a person.

- Since he says he's seen it!

That's enough, isn't it?

What do you need?

- Please have a seat.

- He killed my sister!

Assassin!

Assassin!

Assassin!

- Police officers, please remove Ms. Girard.

Hubbub

The hearing is suspended.

We'll resume tomorrow morning.

Audrey screams.

Door

* Suite for solo cello N°1 in G major

(Johann Sebastian Bach)

Dark music

Howling

The bull blows.

The bull gasps.

- Hm....

How are you?

- You're the one to ask.

- It's the big day.

- Did he give you the green light for his daughter?

- No.

He doesn't understand that he has no choice.

- Are you going to overrule him?

- He's incapable of refereeing.

- So what?

- Annie, the president hasn't pronounced acquittal in two years.

What choice do I have?

- Your plea.

- It won't be enough.

I'll do anything to save him.

- No, but do you hear yourself?

You think you're the Almighty?

We're just asking you to defend him.

Ring

- Ladies and Gentlemen, the Court.

- Sir,

you answered the call

by the gendarmerie in La Provence

eight days after the event?

- Yes.

- You said you read this newspaper every morning.

- For 40 years.

It was called Le Provençal.

- In that case, you must have read the 1st article published on the case

of the discovery of the victim?

- Certainly, yes.

- In this 1st article, published 48 hours

after the fact,

it indicated crime scene and date.

Black on white.

Why didn't you see fit at that time

to call the police?

48 hours later, having seen what you say you saw.

- I.

No idea, I.

There was no call for witnesses. - Finally,

you didn't make the connection between these two cases,

the person you saw on the ground

and the victim's body found in the same place?

- Just listen.

I. I don't have an answer for that.

- Moving on to the 2nd published article

eight days after the events with gendarmerie's call for witnesses.

Once again, the scene of the crime was mentioned.

And the two suspects remanded in custody,

or, with the victim, three people.

My question is as follows:

Is there not an element of autosuggestion?

Reading in the newspaper three people,

you said you saw three people.

- I have no memory problems or vision problems.

Shit, in the end. - Calm down. Calm down,

Sir.

- I'm not going to repeat myself!

- Show the defense lawyer respect.

This is an Assize Court.

- I beg your pardon.

- Thank you, that's all.

- Sir, the Court thanks you.

Uh, any questions for the defendant?

Good.

The hearing will resume

with the plaintiff's closing arguments,

the opinion of the public prosecutor and the defense case.

The Well-Tempered Keyboard: Prelude (Johann Sebastian Bach)

- To pee, it's now.

- I embody the voice of the five Milik children,

being a civil party on behalf of the latter's administrator

social services.

First, I have to say that the elders,

Élodie, age 13 and Ryan, 12,

are fully informed

and aware of the situation.

Today I'd like to

to pass on their core beliefs.

Neither Élodie nor Ryan believe their father capable of what he's accused of.

And by their own admission,

they miss their father terribly.

This father who raised them alone,

with love,

made sure that they have a decent life,

to the indifference of a wife

alcoholic and absent from her children.

I'm not here to overwhelm

or accuse,

but to represent these five children

who have lost their mother

and whose interest is the truth about this drama.

The truth.

At the end of the debates, I must confess

maintain a serious doubt about Mr. Milik's guilt.

I'll get over it, of course

to the decision of the court and jury.

Thank you very much.

- I would like to express my respect

how Mr. Milik's children feel. Mr. Milik's children.

But not me, nor the Court,

nor the jury are his children.

We have to accept between justice and their father,

they could very well choose their father.

We could never make that choice, because Nicolas Milik is guilty.

So..,

you'll say, the accused has no motive.

In which crime of passion is there an objective motive?

A tangible motive?

His is exasperation.

That evening,

after yet another argument, the accused heads for Roger's

to whine to his friend Marton.

Does he already intend to kill his wife?

No, probably not.

Marton has not yet strongly suggest it.

Witnesses didn't see him describe the crime

which will take place 3 hours after

with a serrated knife like the one he owns.

The witnesses leave, we imagine

the two men left alone,

keep talking,

and the accused to be convinced.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be a man.

And this is where the premeditation begins.

Dark music

The two men, like everyone else, know where to find Cécile Milik.

They leave the bar to meet their future victim.

Doors

They take Marton's blue 4x4.

Head for the village square.

Once at the bench, the accused shows himself to his wife.

She's drunk

and doesn't understand what's happening to him.

She recognizes her husband.

So she lets him carry her.

So we won't find any trace of violence

or defense on the unfortunate woman.

They drive her near the Van Gogh bridge, it's quiet.

It's deserted at night at this time of year.

An ideal location.

The terrible aftermath, no one sees.

The material elements in the file tell the story.

The victim is lifted.

She knows we mean her harm.

So she struggles.

Here she pulls

one end of the line

of her husband's jacket.

She also scratches his neck.

But it's too late.

Roger Marton is behind her.

He holds it with his right arm, time for Nicolas Milik

to stand back.

Holding her, he thrusts his blade into her throat and slice her

from the right

to the left

with a serrated knife with a knuckle-shaped handle.

The accused drags his dead wife's body to the abandoned house.

A place...

where it won't be easy to find her.

Then Roger Marton takes the accused home.

He hurried home.

At home, he cleans the gun

with soap.

Like an assassin intent on obliterating all traces of his crime.

But not good enough.

Because a tiny piece of flesh,

probably the victim's,

is still there.

He hides his gun in a bag and goes to bed.

Duty done.

Drunken courage.

Before falling into the arms of Morpheus,

he confides in his wife and tells her:

- I fucking did it. I fucking did it.

- Tell me, Mr. Milik, what did he do?

Tidying up?

Did he rest in front of the TV?

No.

You know as well as I do that he has killed with you and for you.

Because you are

both the murderers of Mrs. Milik.

The fact that you don't drink doesn't help your case.

You accepted your friend's proposal your friend's proposal.

And that evening,

the love you pretended to your wife

and your children has ceased to exist.

Mr Nicolas Milik is like Mr Roger Marton.

He is guilty of the murder of Madame Cécile Milik.

His act was premeditated.

I request against the accused

a sentence of 30 years of criminal imprisonment.

Thank you very much.

- Prove it.

Prove your story, Ms. Attorney General.

Don't tell me the evidence can match it.

Be rigorous and say that they demonstrate it with certainty

or stop holding this story to be true.

Because of incriminating evidence

against my client, there is none.

Like mobile.

Nothing.

There's absolutely nothing to suggest that Nicolas Milik,

calm, level-headed,

not drinking,

had some reason to act that night.

To incur a life sentence?

A divorce would have been good for him. Well, divorce...

You really wanted a divorce, Mr. Milik?

No.

Of course not.

I believe him when he speaks with passion

of the love he had for the mother of his five children.

Let's get down to the hardware

that the Advocate General tried to pass off as evidence.

She first dismissed my client's testimony

in the name of a letter carrier,

apparent and reasonable logic.

The worst enemy of historians that we are.

This logic on which the prosecution relies

is in fact only a probability.

I think of this blue thread

lodged under Cécile Milik's fingernail and who.

logically had more chance to come from the jacket.

It's less likely that his hand grazed the pants,

saw the scene described.

So what?

Are we going to condemn a man for that?

Because it's more likely that?

Are we sure this thread came from the jacket

and was snatched on the night of the crime?

Has anyone tested the lifespan under a fingernail?

Who can assure that evening, Cécile Milik,

an hour before the fight, didn't move the jacket

by deducting what would become

the only evidence indicating that, perhaps,

perhaps,

Nicolas Milik was present that evening, at the Van Gogh Bridge, at 2am.

Take a good look at your nails.

Check for hidden dirt. dirt.

Three times nothing.

Now,

ask yourself when your finger picked it up.

In the morning? Evening? The day before?

I'll say it again,

logic is the enemy of this room.

It is opposed to the necessary rigor

in the word proof.

So..,

Now, let's get to this witness, sir.

M. Fouque, antique dealer, so sure of himself,

who claims to have seen three people, but under what conditions?

Let's deal with his testimony.

It's very fragile.

I'd go so far as to say it defies logic.

How is it possible that the 3 people he describes

can hear nothing of his car's engine?

And can't see him coming in this deserted place?

In his testimony, he says

that the two people in the back didn't try to hide.

30 metres away.

Strange.

Or if you need a logical explanation,

these two people were drunk.

So much so that they no longer paid attention to their surroundings.

Now.

But Nicolas Milik doesn't drink.

And he wasn't there!

And it's Roger, because it was him,

who soon after, with his knife,

slit poor Cécile's throat before fleeing in his 4x4.

Then neither can I, I can't prove it.

But this is consistent with what we know

and I hereby challenge anyone

to prove to me that it happened differently.

Because when it comes to proof, you have absolutely none.

Before concluding, ladies and gentlemen of the jury,

I want to quote you

a magnificent text that I hope will guide you as it guides me.

"The law does not ask judges the means by which

"they convinced themselves.

"It prescribes that they question themselves in silence and contemplation

"and look for

"in the sincerity of their conscience

"what effect have their minds

"the evidence against the accused

"and the means of its defense.

"The law only this one question.

"Do you have an intimate conviction?"

It's not even the benefit of the doubt

that I ask you to acquit Mr. Milik,

but because I am certain of his innocence,

because nothing in his file to the contrary,

because he always denied it, during the 3 years he spent in detention,

because nothing is inexplicable

if he's innocent.

Mr. Milik is also innocent for another reason.

By all accounts, he was a good father.

He only wanted love for his children.

If there were only one reason why he couldn't

kill their mother, is that never...

He couldn't have meant them any harm.

Return this father to his children. Acquit him.

Because it will be fair.

Thank you very much.

- Mr. Milik, according to procedure, you have the floor last.

Would you like to add anything in your defense?

- Yes.

Uh.

I may miss my wife,

she's not coming back.

And uh.

But my children, thank God, are still here.

And uh.

they're all I've got left.

Thank you.

- Thank you, Mr Milik.

The debates are over.

The Court will now retire to deliberate.

Soft music

- How long will it take?

- Oh, this may take a while.

- I just wanted to say, Master, thank you.

Yesterday, I didn't feel well.

Now you've given me a little hope.

- Let's hope the jury with you.

It's the 1st time we've met outdoors.

Notification

It's the clerk.

It's going to be ours.

Ring

- Ladies and Gentlemen, the Court.

- The hearing is resumed, please be seated.

Mr. Milik, please stand up.

The Court had to answer two questions.

Is Nicolas Milik guilty voluntary manslaughter

against the person of his wife, Cécile Milik,

as defined in article 221-1 of the French Penal Code?

If yes,

Did Nicolas Milik act premeditated?

To that first question,

by a majority of at least 6 votes, the Court responded:

Yes.

To the second question,

by a majority of at least 6 votes, the Court responded:

Yes.

Therefore,

Nicolas Milik was found guilty of these charges.

The court sentenced him to 20 years' imprisonment.

Mr. Milik, you have 10 days to appeal.

The hearing is adjourned.

- Gentlemen,

gentlemen, wait.

I'd like to have a second conversation with my customer.

Thank you.

We're not stopping here, Nicolas.

We'll carry on. - No, we're good.

We stop everything.

- No, no.

We're going on appeal. - No, we won't.

I'm tired, I'm fed up. I just want to do my time.

You put up a good fight.

20 years isn't so bad. - No, it isn't.

Let me defend you on appeal. - No, you may not.

You'll have to forgive me, Master.

(I lied to you.)

(I did.)

(I killed her. I killed my wife. I killed my wife.)

(Roger did nothing but lend me his knife his knife and come with me).

(- But why?)

(- I didn't dare tell you.)

(I didn't want to disappoint you.)

(- But why did you do that?)

(- Ben...)

(Before you, no one had respected me, like that, really.)

(Same Roger.)

(And...)

(Never like that.)

(I deserve this punishment. It's terrible, what I've done).

- Why would you kill her?

- That's it, we've got to go.

He groans.

He gasps.

He groans.

He gasps.

He vomits.

He gasps.

- Master?

Excuse me.

May I have a word? - Of course, of course.

- I've done it all

for him to be acquitted during the discussions.

- You don't have the right to say it.

- I know. But it's important. But it's important that you know.

In fact, you convinced all the jurors.

- Ah? - We all agreed

to say that Mr. Milik was innocent.

The president came to see us

and turned the wind in the other direction.

Everyone was impressed by her.

And there, listening to him talk,

they all began to doubt.

I'm the only one who hasn't changed her mind.

I just wanted to say... I'm sorry.

Here we are.

- Thank you very much.

Soft music

Three years have passed.

My life returned to normal.

I continued to defend people with varying degrees of success.

I've never forgotten that night.

But I eventually digested it.

Put it aside and find a way and find a way to keep

a kind of reservoir of illusions.

And then one day, I received a call from the gendarmerie in Arles

I was informed that a certain Nicolas Milik,

incarcerated in Tarascon prison

for the murder of his wife, was under investigation.

And that he asked to see me.

Squeaking

Door slamming

- Thank you for coming, Master.

I'm glad you're back.

- Given the past, I'm not sure to assist you

in this new procedure.

I mean, beyond this interview.

- I understand your reservations.

But I promise,

I'm telling you the whole truth.

- What are we doing here?

What's this all about?

- I was very lonely, Master.

At the time you know, before my wife passed away.

Very lonely.

She wasn't doing anything.

She started drinking more and more.

She was gone all day.

Then one evening,

I don't even know how it happened...

I began cuddling Elodie.

That's my girl.

She said nothing. So I started again.

And so it went on.

I knew it was wrong.

But I was ashamed.

But I was so lonely that... there you go.

It all came to a head and then...

Until she told me she wanted more.

She told me to stop. It was a shock.

It was a blow.

I apologized. She's my daughter, so I love her.

I apologized so that she would understand it was an accident.

Here we are.

She promised me she wouldn't say anything.

And then I started again with Jade.

Yeah.

Except that Cécile surprised us.

She's seen it all.

She threatened to tell to everyone.

Especially since she knew that I wanted to file for divorce.

That's why I couldn't get a divorce.

She told me she wouldn't say anything

if I left him alone.

If I let her drink

and spend our money, do whatever she wanted.

She took almost everything.

I did the housework, the cooking and looked after the children.

Except that...

she started dropping hints.

At school, in front of the neighbors.

"You know, Nicolas,

"he loves his children very much.

"I'm jealous."

I couldn't take it anymore.

That's why it happened.

I had no choice, so I killed her.

Prelude in C minor BWV 999 (Johann Sebastian Bach)

- I looked at him, he'd hidden everything from everyone,

starting with me.

To those witnesses who had described him as an exemplary father.

To the social services who were monitoring the family.

To my colleague in the civil action who had pleaded

having heard the children say how much they loved their father.

How much they missed him.

Eternal conflict of feelings

in the hearts of incest victims.

A life of concealment and no one had seen a thing.

The Beggar And The Thief (Piers Faccini)

Subtitling: LYSI MEDIA