Review and trailer of the film La syndicaliste (The Sitting Duck) by Jean-Paul Salomé, with Isabelle Huppert, Marina Foïs, Grégory Gadebois and Pierre Deladonchamps.
One morning, Maureen Kearney is violently attacked at Elle’s home. She was working on a sensitive file in the French nuclear sector and was under violent political pressure. The investigators find no trace of the attackers… is she the victim or guilty of false denunciation?
La syndicaliste (The Sitting Duck) FILM CRITIC
Captivated by the book by journalist Caroline Michel-Aguirre, La syndicaliste, Jean-Paul Salomé pursued his desire to tell the story of a whistleblower, as Emmanuelle Bercot had very skillfully done with La fille de Brest, worn by the talented Sidse Babett Knudsen.
Like Irène Frachon and the Mediator health scandal, Areva union representative Maureen Kearney suffered enormous pressure and threats until an unspeakable attack aimed at silencing her.
In a macho world where women in power are rare and patriarchal postures (as well as replies) remain widespread, Maureen Kearney counted on a weighty ally with the president of the AREVA group – embodied on screen by Marina Foïs – but her departure precipitated by Nicolas Sarkozy will redistribute the cards.
While the sustainability of the French group is threatened by an alliance project with China, jeopardizing both French know-how and the future of the group’s employees, the trade unionist is determined to prevent what she considers to be a clearance sale of the French nuclear industry endorsed by the powers that be. A betrayal whose consequences we measure today with the dismantling of the group and the loss of our energy independence.
IDEAL VICTIM AND GUILTY
First intimidated and brought back to her status as a “woman” and “English teacher” by her new aggressive and sexist boss, the trade unionist does not give up. At the heart of these places of power and decision-making that Salomé films on live sets, La Syndicalist follows this outsider in her crusade and her clashes with the big guns of industry and politics who take a dim view of her commitment to bring to light the truths surrounding this imminent agreement with China.
To the point of using drastic measures? When her appalling assault occurs at her home, the story changes register to tell of the work of discredit and the (voluntary?) legal breaches of a case of which she emerges as a victim and accused.
Three years after the embarrassing La Daronne, Jean-Paul Salomé reunites with Isabelle Huppert. If La Syndicalist is interesting in what it illustrates political and industrial maneuvers, sexism in the highest places of power and the care and consideration of victims of sexual violence, we regret to find in this new collaboration some evils already present in the previous one.
With its artificial dialogues and other impromptu punchlines whose search for the right word denotes with the rest of the subject, The trade unionist shoots herself in the foot by too often wanting to defuse the heavy atmosphere of what could have been and of only being. ‘a paranoid thriller dissecting the workings of industrial shenanigans and denouncing the culture of rape.
Clumsy, the film forgets to leave the necessary space for Kearney’s psychological ordeal. Finally, we regret that the feature film finds itself vampirized by its main actress who occupies all the space in her now traditional permanent overplay which does not honor the determination and resilience of her scorned heroine, whom we are still waiting for. honor is definitely washed. And let justice be done.
LIAISON SERIES REVIEW
ON THE ADAMANT Film
TRAILER
The trailer of this La Syndicaliste (The Sitting Duck) film will be seen soon. Thank you
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