Prolific French documentarian Raymond Depardon, often doubling as cinematographer and now in his 80s, hasn’t released a new film since this one. But if it does prove to be his last, he’s gone out with honors; a calmly fraught look into a unique custom in the French Code of Justice that calls for a ‘Freedom and Detention Judge’ to revisit the status and rights of involuntarily admitted criminal patients held at psychiatric facilities within 12 days of incarceration. Using simple non-narrated techniques (no voice-over to set the scene or give info), Depardon relies on static shots, basic reverse angles between judge and ‘patient’ (with assigned legal representation), we might be watching ‘Dogme’ filmmaking principles in action or a film along the lines of the late Frederick Wiseman . . . only much, much shorter. (Running time about 90".) The patients are split between three judges, all kind, all seen-it-all-before; all taking doctors’ reports ahead of patients explanations. Half of them know they need more time before requesting a change in treatment or early release, all on some sort of sedating medication regimen, nearly all able to put across a five minute sanity pitch only to start showing mental cracks or something more complicated in rising order of sad, scary, delusional. And just once, after a patient has left the room, does a judge let us in on something terrible from a patient’s past she’s aware of. And it’s devastating. All this fascinating to watch, but plainly exhausting to the players on both sides of the judgment table where they go thru the motions of observable justice with unexpected civility and hidden hopelessness.
SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY: A fine correction to the cute/sentimental slush seen in so many fictional films dealing with mental health conditions & 'holding' facilities. And no one playing it up for the awards circuit.
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