Conviction (2018) - full transcript

On 27th February 2000,

mother of three Suzanne Viguier
disappeared without a trace.

Her husband, Jacques Viguier,
was soon suspected of her murder.

9 years later,

he was tried
for the murder of his wife.

...with complete honesty
the impression made on them

by the evidence against the accused
and the arguments in his defence.

The law asks them but one question,

which sums up
the extent of their duty:

"Are you absolutely convinced?"

Mr Viguier, you must wait in court
until a verdict is reached.



Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,
please come with me.

After deliberating for three hours,

the nine jurors answered "no"...

Jacques Viguier was acquitted today.

This law professor
was accused of killing...

The prosecution demanded
15 to 20 years...

I'm sure the jury was in no doubt
that Viguier was guilty, but...

Jacques Viguier has been acquitted.
He'll sleep at home tonight.

But the law professor isn't done
with the courts yet.

We learnt late this morning
that there'll be another Viguier trial.

The Toulouse public prosecutor
has appealed.

The law professor...

It's quite shocking

for the prosecution
to appeal against the jury's verdict.



But they have the right.

So there'll be another trial in 2010.

What will happen
if he's found guilty and sentenced?

CONVICTION

See you.

- All right?
- Yeah.

- Was it good?
- Yeah. Thanks.

- Did you play well?
- Yeah.

Sorry we're late.

- Hi.
- All right?

- Filou, homework first, shower after.
- Yeah.

There, write "250".
I'll do it for you.

It's important to know how to do this.

Really?

- So what's that the mass of?
- The page.

What's the point of knowing
the mass of a page?

Just work it out, it's easy.

- To find out the mass of a page?
- Yes.

I didn't set the problem.

That's the sort of lawyer
your dad needs.

He's got people off
in some very complicated cases.

- Will you talk to him?
- Yeah.

He's in a down phase.
It could be a while.

- Bye.
- See you.

Any news about Melun?

All right. Yeah, fine.

- Maître Dupond-Moretti?
- Hello, Madam.

I called about the Viguier case.

I have nothing to do with it.
In your job you should do some research.

I'm not a journalist.

I'd like you to take the case.

Where will it be?

Albi.

I don't shake hands
with the court president.

Why?

He's dishonest. He's convicted two
that I got off in a first trial.

When is it?

- In March.
- March?

No, I can't, it's impossible.

They don't even know she's dead.
Maybe she just ran away.

The case is all hearsay.

And the press were disgusting.

There's no body, no evidence, no motive.

But I have no time.

And I can't just take the case
at the last moment.

Goodbye.

Yes?

When?

For too long we've tolerated
the irresponsibility of some parents...

- Don't you understand French?
- It's all in here.

I'd need the court file.

This is better.
I dissected the first trial.

- What are you doing?
- You know what they accuse him of?

I should be in Montauban already.

Let me park my car
and I'll come with you.

- No.
- This is a miscarriage of justice.

That's enough, now get out.

Get out!

If he wanted a new lawyer,
he'd ask me himself!

He can't, he's sick!

All right, wait!

What's she up to?

Table number 6, one person.
The chicken, please.

Take that! If it's cold,
the customer won't come again.

- Do you enjoy terrorising her?
- That's how they learn.

- I have a bit of time later.
- How much is "a bit"?

About two hours, shower included.

I can hardly wait!

Tell me how much I owe you!

See you tomorrow.

You've got one there.

- What?
- A cushion.

You're not a sharer!

Stop it!

You won't share your cushion.

Stop it!

Am I bothering you?

Go for it!

Go on!

It's Éric Dupond-Moretti.
How are you?

I'm fine. Hello.

You want to see me?

I don't know, Bordeaux's a bit tricky.

At this number?

He's not even local.
How will that help him?

An innocent man
doesn't change lawyers.

I'm not talking to you.

Jacques Viguier changes his lawyer

Good evening.

Can I still get something to eat?

Sorry, the kitchens closed
two hours ago.

I'll see what I can do, but...

Hello.

Hello.

I talked to Viguier on the phone.
Do you know him or not?

- I'm a friend of Clémence.
- That's what he told me.

And he lets a friend of Clémence
interfere in his case?

I was at the first trial.

How do you know Clémence?
She's only 20.

What's this, the third degree?

I need to know who I'm dealing with.

She teaches my son maths.

We talked,
one thing led to another...

She's affected me, I can't help it.

This is all pretty unusual.

I read your notes.

There's interesting stuff here.

But I can't use it in court.

- Why?
- I can't mention the first trial.

But you worked hard on it.

- What's your job?
- Chef.

Honest!
I'm a chef in a brasserie in Toulouse.

You should come for lunch.

All I can serve you
is some charcuterie, I'm sorry.

There's some crème brûlée too.

- You like that, I believe.
- All right.

And a drop of champagne.

- Bon appétit!
- Thank you.

They've spoilt you!

What a bloody life!

I had a reconciliation
with Richiardi.

Who's Richiardi?

The Albi court president.
He was quite pleasant on the phone.

But...

there's still this rumour about him.

He so hates his colleague in Toulouse
that he quashes guilty verdicts

and overturns acquittals.

Petty in-fighting.

- But there are the jurors.
- Yeah.

Fortunately.

Well...

do you want to help me?

Yes, I'd like to help.

I'll explain.

Richiardi has been magnanimous

with the phone-tapping recordings.

Phone-tapping?

250 hours of recordings.

My predecessors begged for them,
and he hands them over

six weeks before the trial.

Obviously I can't listen to them all.

Do you feel up to the job?

Don't you have
an army of juniors for that?

I have two,
working on the cases I had to dump.

There's no one who knows the case
as well as you do.

All you have to do is listen
and note anything interesting.

Can you help or not?

Well, I'd like to but...

I'm going skiing with my son
in just over a week, and...

It's a big responsibility.

That's for sure.

But you already took on
that responsibility

when you came looking for me.

What's on the recordings?

Viguier's phone, his parents'

and the lover's. He talks a lot.

- What do you think of the lover?
- Durandet?

What do you want me to think?
He's adamant that Viguier is guilty.

He requested me when he associated
with the prosecution. I refused.

At the first trial he was convincing,
he seemed sincere.

He moved everyone, he cried.

Yeah.

And the husband convinces no one.

He's bipolar, that's how it is.

It's the worst sort of situation for me.

He's been acquitted once.

If he isn't this time,
everyone'll say it's my fault.

You've got the case file.
There's nothing in it, right?

Yeah, they've got sod all!

But court cases are delicate.

Why do you think
the prosecutor appealed?

They've had their culprit for ten years.

If they want to destroy him,
they will.

- Hello.
- Olivier?

- Yeah.
- Hi.

- Hi.
- How are you?

Bad.

What's the matter?

Well, Suzy disappeared
a fortnight ago and...

- What do you mean?
- Well...

You know what I think?

She's dead.

Yes, her husband killed her.

Stop it!

Don't say that.

He was released from custody
at 6:30 this morning.

The bastard didn't confess.

There are suspicions, accusations...

There's no proof,
but lots of stuff points to him.

- It's not possible!
- I'm afraid it is.

How do you come into all this?

As Suzy's lover
and because I'm really worried.

- But if he did it in cold blood...
- It's worse.

We're practically sure
that it was premeditated.

Did she just disappear overnight?

We were at the cards tournament.
I took her home on the Sunday at 5 a.m.

Not a word since then.

What about the children?

Their grandfather picked them up
that Sunday morning at 10:15.

Jacques supposedly went for a jog,

had a shower and went out in his car

while his wife slept.

They slept apart.
She was sleeping in their office room.

Oh, she was sleeping in the...

And he joined his children for lunch
at 12:30.

What if she just left?

She couldn't have,
she didn't take anything

and her car's in the garage.

But I'm going to phone everyone
who agrees with me.

- We won't let it go.
- Shit!

I'm going to harass the guy,

it'll be in the paper,

I'll spread rumours...

You can't do that.

- I can't do what?
- You can't spread...

Rumours?

It's not like I'm going to sign
the rumours.

Excuse me.

Has Mr Dupond-Moretti gone?

Yes. He usually leaves at dawn
and returns late.

Do you want to leave him a message?

I consider myself
more like Suzy's companion.

I'm a "lover", strictly speaking,

because they're still married,
but I'm not making her unfaithful.

There's nothing between them.

So there's no cheating.
He's her husband...

Maybe he knew about you two
and that's why he did it.

No. They had a talk a month ago
and he understood...

- That she wanted a divorce?
- Yeah.

She disappeared
on Sunday 27th February.

On the Monday
she had an appointment with a lawyer.

Five people have confirmed that.

Jacques must have thought,

"I'm losing my wife,
I'm losing my kids,

"I'm losing my house...

"What will they say about me at uni?

"What will my parents think?
What will people say?"

MOTIVE?

The fact of losing all that,
in public,

and the failure of a divorce,

moving back in with his parents
like a 20-year-old...

You scared me!

What are you doing?

Working.

Sweetheart,

sit down,
I have something to tell you.

You know the brilliant lawyer
I went looking for?

Yes.

He asked me to help him
to defend Clémence's dad.

It's a big job he's asked of me.

I want to do it,

but it means
I can't come skiing with you.

But I talked to Gaspard's mum
and she's fine with it being you two.

It's not a problem.

But I can't come.

It's all right.

Whatever.

Shall we order some sushi?

I can't tell you everything,
but they found her handbag.

In the house.

- They found her handbag?
- In the house.

With the keys to the house
in the handbag.

Tell me how,
with the doors locked and shutters down,

you can get out of your house
and leave the keys inside?

He got details off the cops
and leaked them to witnesses.

That could be subornation.
Transcribe it all.

I'm over there.

It's confusing. I get lost
with all the people he talks to.

Identify them well.
We'll see them all in court.

How long is there until the trial?
A month?

About that. So work hard.

Bye!

Hi, Gaspard.

Got the GoPro?

- Did you finish your maths?
- Yeah.

Clémence, does the name Philippe
ring a bell?

Yes.

- He's my godfather.
- Great!

That's one of the three Philippes.

Godfather.

- I'll play the second.
- I don't know any others.

What about Sylvie?

One of Mum's colleagues,
a dancing teacher.

But I was only 10 years old.

Yeah.

Thanks for everything you're doing.

See you Thursday.

Yes, Thursday.

Hello, Olivier? It's Audrey.

- You gave a statement?
- Yes.

Good, they got in touch.

- Is your surname Friasse?
- Fraisse.

I thought it was you.

- I gave them your number.
- Oh, right.

From Suzy's address book.

Philippe, it's Olivier.

- Hello?
- Hello, Ambre?

Colette?

Hello, it's Olivier.

Mr Malon?

Laurie?

- Laetitia?
- Yes.

Hello. Sorry to bother you,

but I'd like to speak to...

Filou!

Coming!

What you can say
is that your dancing teacher disappeared

and that her husband is in custody.

We'll talk to the parents,

who may tell their kids.

And the parents
might discuss it at work.

I'm interested in the students.
Rumours at uni spread fast.

It'll spread in Villefranche
like wildfire.

Can we accuse someone without proof?

You mustn't say, "He killed her."
What you can say is,

"I think... that he killed her."

It's a supposition, not an assertion.

- Right.
- You can't be done for slander.

You're through to Olivier Durandet.
Please leave a message.

Mr Durandet,
this is La Dépêche du Midi.

First I have to polish up the article
with the cop,

then with the journalist.

First you have to create the suspense.

- "Strange disappearance."
- Yes.

Short and snappy.

Bullet points.
"Her keys were still inside.

"Did she walk through the walls?"

I don't expect to find her
with the posters.

Right, they're...

They're to put pressure on him,
so he'll see that people are active.

Even the children.

It really distresses me
that they're suffering.

But they're bound to suffer anyway,

so we have to use that.

They're suffering now
and we're going to make it worse,

but if it makes Jacques confess,
we have to do it.

It's in Le Figaro,
Libération, Le Parisien, La...

Yeah, I saw.

And a journalist
from Détectives came to see me.

Cases lose their focus
when the tabloids get involved.

Even if there are false rumours,
that's not a problem.

Tongues have to wag
to keep up the pressure,

whatever they're saying.

At uni, a year ago, he boasted
he could commit the perfect crime.

A perfect crime?

I'm sure he was inspired by
Hitchcock's films...

He's a big fan of Hitchcock.

The court.

Court is in session. You may be seated.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,

I'll bring your attention to the fact
that we are not only judging an act.

Above all, we are judging a man.

Hello, Mr Viguier.

Hello, Mr President.

Mr Viguier, over these three weeks

we shall try to be
as thorough as possible.

But, before that,

I want to go over one point.

You're a film lover.

I've read your writings about cinema
but have found nothing about Hitchcock.

Yet it is said that you're a fan
of the English director.

It's like the lectures
about the perfect crime.

Closer to the microphone.

- Closer to the microphone.
- Sorry.

- I said...
- Switch it on.

I'm sorry.

It's like my supposed lectures
about the perfect crime.

It was part
of the media's rumour-mongering.

I like Hitchcock, but I'm no expert.

I prefer...

westerns and musicals.

There isn't a Hitchcock film
of which your case reminds you?

- The Lady Vanishes?
- Yes, but I was thinking of another.

Don't you see?

The Wrong Man.

It came out in 1957.

The year you were born.

Mr Viguier,
in your first statement you said

that your wife seemed fragile

and depressed. Your words.

Why did you say that?

Was she on medication?
Was she seeing a doctor?

No, but as an example,
she once said to Clémence,

"Your dad gave me AIDS."

Do you think that telling such a lie
to a ten-year-old

is a sign of wellbeing?

Suzy's mother said,
"I don't want to believe she's dead.

"I believe she's still alive."

But Suzy's sisters are convinced
that Viguier murdered her.

Suzy's two sisters are associating
with the prosecution.

They believe she wanted a divorce,
which Jacques couldn't accept.

I'm waiting for him to be sentenced.

We have to think of our sister, Suzy.

She's dead,
she didn't see her children grow.

I was 100% sure he did it before.
But now...

I'm 300% sure, if not more.

What do you expect from this trial?

I want to know what happened.

And maybe see my daughter turn up.
Who knows?

We're becoming more aware

of the very serious charges
against Jacques Viguier.

Well?

- Well...
- It went well this morning, didn't it?

I'm wary of Richiardi.

He'll bow and scrape,
then stab you in the back.

What have you got?

I've sorted some recordings
by theme.

That's not what I asked for,
I need transcriptions.

- Éric.
- Francis.

What are you doing here?

It's not a winner!

Your wife disappeared.

And you went skiing.

You asked Mr Durandet to phone
the hospitals and friends.

Is that a normal way to act?

Why didn't you ask your neighbours

if they'd seen or heard anything?

Why did you wait such a long time
before mentioning your wife's absence

to your colleague?

Ten days.

Ten days.

Thanks.

- Where did you get to?
- Nowhere.

What do I do with your CD?

What use are you?
I give you discs, you bring back discs.

Don't be so unpleasant.

I found stuff,
but I don't know what you can use.

- Where are you going?
- With you.

The conversations go on for hours.

So I have to pick out the substance.

Sometimes I go through 3 or 4 calls
to find a lie.

How many like this?

Dozens. I've sorted them by theme.

What's in "Connivance with the police"?

That's awesome.

Your work is too fine.

A lawyer can't be subtle.

I'm a donkey, I need big bullets.

We can't let Durandet talk.
If we give him space, we're screwed.

The same for his hangers-on.
We shoot to kill.

The rule is:
one sentence, one question, then bang!

He's down.
As soon as I speak, bang!

The witness is finished.

Are we out of white paper?

We know it's not true
that he went jogging.

But he told me several times
that he did go running.

He told me several times.

Yeah, but it's bullshit.

Keep that to yourself.

- I'll try to pop back later.
- Thanks.

There's been a persistent rumour

that Viguier never went jogging.

So my question is a simple one.
Did you believe he was a sporty person?

I don't know.

I don't remember.

Do you not remember a discussion
that you had

with Olivier Durandet about jogging?

No.

- All right?
- Hi.

How was your holiday?

Two loins of lamb, please.

- Is this ready?
- Yeah.

Is it dangerous to go back in
when he's not there?

It'd be breaking and entering.
Don't get caught.

Seriously?

"Don't get caught."
Spoken by a policeman?

But I told him it was illegal,
I told him it would be

breaking and entering.

- Have you seen the time?
- I'm sorry.

I'm really sorry.

Get a move on.

The investigating judge was there
all Saturday afternoon.

They've got him by the balls.

I asked if he could lock him up
with two big black queers.

"I asked if he could lock him up

"with two big black queers."

And you said, "Yeah, that'd be best."

Durandet: "The superintendent
said they'd more likely be brown.

"But as they're all queer..."

They laughed.

You added, "We're not responsible
for the company he keeps."

- What a laugh, eh?
- What are you trying to prove?

What a great humanist you are.

A nuanced fellow.

You're a witness to nothing.

You've taken up with Durandet
and you'll stick with him all the way.

Do you mind if I go now?

No. Live your life!

Tell us your name,
age and profession.

Laurent Lazard,

I'm 36,

I live in Toulouse and I work in a bank.

Do you swear to tell the whole truth?

- Raise your hand and say, "I swear."
- I swear.

I swear.

DURANDET CLAN

Mr President,

this morning my client saw Mr Durandet
talking to other witnesses.

This worries me.

This is strictly forbidden.

Are we sure it was him?
She may have been mistaken.

Yeah, right!

You knew Olivier Durandet,

but you didn't see him earlier today?

No.

Really? You didn't bump into him?

Yes, just bumped into him.

Maître de Caunes?

Did you too bump
into Mr Durandet earlier?

Yes, in the café.

You had a coffee
but didn't talk about the case?

I just asked how it was going.
I hadn't been following it.

You asked Mr Durandet
how the trial was going?

Yes.

I have no more questions,
Mr President.

Bailiff, make sure that Mr Durandet
remains a good distance

from the courthouse.

Of course.

- I'll be offering you a job soon.
- I'm not sure I'd accept.

When's Durandet's turn?

End of next week. We have time.

Empty your pockets, please.

Raise your arms.

I'll see you when you get out of prison!

The superintendent said,

"Mr Viguier,

"your son is guilty,
there's no doubt about it.

"He has two choices.

"Either he confesses

"and, since his wife was a bitch

"who made his life hell,

"there are mitigating circumstances,
so he'll get five years.

"Or he doesn't confess

"and in that case
he'll be sentenced to...

"fifteen years.

"And what will become of his children?

"Your granddaughter

"will end up a prostitute,

"the boys

"will be on drugs

"and their lives will be ruined.

"So, Mr Viguier,

"you're going to help me
get your son to confess.

"Then it will be all over."

I said,

"No, I'm not going to help you."

He sat down again

behind his desk and said,
"We're finished. Of course...

"you won't be allowed to see your son."

Thank you, Mr Viguier.

The prosecution?

This is Nora.

I like that! A former juror
has joined the Viguier family.

Really?

The woman in the jacket.

She was a juror in the first trial.

Can I have a word?

You mugged me off!

Why didn't you tell me
you were on the jury?

Because...

I had to get you to read my file
and I thought that...

it'd scare you off and...

- I was going to tell you.
- Oh, yeah? When?

You wouldn't have let me hear
the phone recordings.

From now on, you forget me.

When the house was searched,

the investigators found traces of blood

on the banister of the stairs
leading to Suzanne Viguier's bedroom.

Blood of both the husband and wife

was found on a piece of cloth
in the boot of the car

and also in the bathroom.

It looked like blood in the bath,

as if someone had had a bath,

then let the water out,
and traces had stayed in the bathtub.

You say they have no proof,
but you're not sure either.

But they're talking crap,
exaggerating everything.

The blood was microscopic,
it means nothing.

There's blood in our kitchen
from me cutting myself. It's nothing.

Why did Viguier get rid of the mattress
that his wife slept on?

This is dodgy reporting.

The law professor
has an answer for everything.

- Don't let them fool you.
- But...

No buts!

There's no proof.
No proof means acquittal.

That's very important.

Or you could send
an innocent man to prison.

You have to understand that.

We don't all have to agree with you!

I want to believe in justice
and let it run its course.

I've let it do so for nine years,
that's a long time.

What I'd like now

is to hear the truth.

Ten days after her disappearance,
you reported her as being abducted.

You then went home.

And it was then that you decided
to throw the mattress away.

Can you explain that, Mr Viguier?

- Hello.
- It's full, Madam.

I was alone at home,
for the first time in ages.

The disappearance had...

disturbed my routine.

I was going round in circles.

I started tidying up a bit
and I saw the sofa bed.

And... well, it's hard to explain

but...

I was worried about Suzy,
but angry at her too.

I guessed she'd been unfaithful,
not knowing who but...

So when I saw the sofa bed,

I took the mattress,

in a fit of temper,
and threw it away at the dump.

Why did you at first say

that you threw it away

because it was uncomfortable?

I couldn't tell the police
the real reason.

You changed your story three times!

Your psychological explanations
took eight months to come out.

I'm sorry, but I didn't break my oath
or speak about the deliberations.

I can talk to the family if I want.

If anyone is taking a risk,
it's me, not you.

You lied to me, I can't trust you.

Get used to it.

You're not coming in the bogs?

Court will reconvene.

Court is in session.

You may be seated.

Mr Viguier, tell us
about that Sunday morning.

I got up with my sons.

I went to wake Clémence,

but she wasn't in her room,
so I looked...

in her mother's room, and...

she got up and came with me.

But you saw your wife sleeping?

I thought I saw her.

In that room,

when the electric shutters are down,

you can't...

Your statements
became more and more precise,

but now you seem to be refuting
what you said.

Did you, yes or no,
see your wife in her bedroom?

Clémence was lying down
and, behind...

I saw a shape.

The prosecution.

Reference D279...

You're not exempt from having to stand.

Who said you could speak?

I was about to stand!

I was speaking
into the microphone.

- To make it heard.
- Well done.

Maître Dupond-Moretti, thank you.

Carry on.

At reference D279, you said,

"I heard my wife's footsteps
in the hallway."

She was wearing boots.

If you heard her come in,
it must have been her.

I heard noises, so I thought it was her.

But you also said, reference D66,

"I saw my wife's
and Clémence's heads."

Did you see them or didn't you?

Your wife disappeared,

you found her handbag
and you said nothing to the police?

I wasn't sure that...

Her purse wasn't in it, so...

I'll remind the court
that the handbag did not contain

her purse, her mobile phone,

her chequebook and the prize
she won at cards that night.

Jacques, when you found the handbag,
you didn't realise it was Suzy's, right?

You have to say so, Jacques.

I did.

You didn't. Mum had loads of bags.

They're being dishonest. You said
early on that she wasn't in her bed.

Yes, if he had killed her,
all he had to say was,

"My daughter's right, she didn't
come home." He said the opposite.

We should write memory cards for him,

so he'll say the right thing.

- How do the cops know she went home?
- They don't know she's dead.

We know she went home.

There's evidence...
Just read the papers.

There's evidence which confirms
that she definitely went home.

That's where to start digging.

What matters is what happened next.

Not what happened before.

I called them Monday morning.

When Jacques said she hadn't come home,
I said, "I'm coming round."

So Durandet turned up here
on the Monday. What did he say?

First we went in the kitchen to...

He drinks coffee, I don't.

I used to make some
when he came around.

I said to him, "When she came
to the cards tournament,

"she had her toilet bag
with her lens stuff."

The bag with the lens stuff.

Did the two of you find it?

It was right next to the sink.

A pair of lenses was missing.

I remember she had that toilet bag

when I dropped her off.

Now it's the boys
who use this bathroom.

Then what happened with Durandet?

I left him alone.

Alone?

Yes, he said he wanted
to go in Suzy's bedroom

to check some things.

It's upstairs, next to Clémence's room.

- Did you see the mattress?
- It was there on the Monday.

- You're sure?
- Yes.

I sat on the sofa bed.

I sat on it.

I checked the alarm
on her clock radio.

It was set for a quarter to two
in the afternoon.

I'd asked her to call me at two.

But she never called me.

You only found her handbag
a week later, right?

It was down there.

But you're sure you talked about it
on that Monday?

Yes, we looked for it together.

But we didn't look there.

Éric Dupond-Moretti.
Please leave a message.

It's Nora.

Why would Durandet hurry there
to try to prove that Suzy went home?

He convinced everyone she did go home,
even Viguier.

Why was he unsure,
if he took her home?

If it wasn't Suzy that Viguier heard
at 4 a.m., maybe it was Durandet.

He planted the toilet bag and handbag
and he set the alarm.

Because if Durandet killed her, he had
to make it look like she went home.

That's for sure.

Call me back.

You should write crime novels

Bloody hell!

Shit!

All right, Mum?

Yeah.

Going to your trial tomorrow?

No.

- Can you take me to training, then?
- Yeah.

I think he strangled her.
Strangled or smothered.

I'm acting all tough,
talking about this,

but I haven't been able to sleep
in my bed for three weeks now.

I sleep on the sofa.
I suffocate in my bedroom.

You don't think
she could have gone out by...

There's something I've remembered.

The shutter in their room,
what used to be their room,

didn't close properly.

It goes all the way down,
but a bit of light still gets in.

There are like little holes.

- No, when I saw it...
- No, no.

...there was a 20cm gap.

No, no. I'm sure about that

because I had a look
when we were there.

Because if it was always blocked
in that position...

Anyway, with the article in today's...

...light still gets in.
There are like little holes.

No, when I...

...there was a 20cm gap.

No, no.

I'm sure about that because I had a look
when we were there.

- He gave himself away.
- Didn't you see my text?

I'm serious.

So am I.

You have an overactive imagination.

Trust me one last time!

Clémence.

Hello. Give this to Dupond-Moretti.

- What is it?
- It's really important.

I can't stay, I'm really late for work.
I'm counting on you!

The school called,
I have to take him to the doctor.

I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do.

I was their babysitter.

Suzy was like a big sister to me.

I was really close to her and...

her children.
They were very affectionate and...

cuddly.

I didn't see Mr Viguier much.

He was only there sporadically.

He had a lot of activities.

I never managed to relax around him.

When Suzy entrusted
her children to me,

she said they were the most precious
thing in the world to her.

I can't believe
she'd just leave her children.

Any questions?

Maître Dupond-Moretti?

Is Durandet your brother-in-law?

No, not really,
he's my sister's husband's brother.

You were the Viguiers' babysitter,
so you had keys?

Yes.

So you went there on the Monday
and had a look around.

What were you looking for?

To see if Suzy's things were there.

To see if she'd gone or not.

And you...

conducted your "investigation"

even into Jacques Viguier's bathroom?

I had a quick look.

You had a quick look
and in the bathtub you saw blood.

No. Well...

Water mixed with blood.

And of course you mentioned it
straight away to Mr Durandet.

I don't know if I did or not.

No, you didn't.

It wasn't until your third statement,
nine months later,

that you mentioned it to the police.

Yes, I don't know why, I...

Madam, you are under oath.

I shall put the question
to you directly.

Was Durandet with you in the house,
on Monday 28th February 2000?

No.

No?

Do you know
there are new telephone recordings?

Well, not new, but recently disclosed.

Durandet was not with you?

Not in the house.

He stayed in the car,
he didn't come in.

He was there in the car,
but he didn't come in?

Are you sure?

Yes, I'd have heard him.

- The recordings contradict you.
- Really?

"Really?"

This is important, Madam.

We've been wondering for so long
who could have gone in the house,

wondering how a Hitchcockian murderer

would have left his wife's handbag
rather than just dump it.

We wondered if maybe the handbag
was planted there.

That's all just supposition.

I don't think he came in.

- Can I hear it?
- Later.

This is not the time to interrupt me!

We'll listen to it.

I haven't finished my questioning.

Madam, you're a key witness.
Excuse me, but one last time,

on oath,

do you swear that Durandet
didn't go in with you?

He came in, but he stayed with me.

- Why have you never said so?
- He asked me not to.

In case it was said
that he planted something.

Well, he didn't say it like that.

"In case it had consequences
on the investigation."

And for ten years
it hasn't bothered you?

Yes, but he kept saying
it would cause problems.

I was 18, I was easily influenced.

How about the blood,
the traces of blood in the bathtub?

Did you see them?

Yes, I did.

So did he, then, if he was with you.

I don't think so.

I'm imploring you to tell us the truth.

You said nothing for ten years,

nothing at the first trial,

and you want us to believe

that you saw blood

but said nothing to Durandet,
who was with you?

I never said

that I was sure.
I said, "I think..."

Blood is a damning factor.

You can imagine how your declaration

could make things bad
for Jacques Viguier.

How your declaration
could secure his conviction.

How your declaration

could deprive Clémence, Nicolas
and Guillaume of their father.

Madam.

In life there are moments of truth.

I have a daughter.

I'm afraid of what might happen.

I'll tell you everything.
On the Monday I was alone.

Olivier asked to go on the Tuesday.

He wanted to see if Suzy's things
were there. He was worried.

Lies!

He did his "search"
when Viguier was there.

I don't believe you about the blood.

- You're not telling the whole truth.
- I am now.

You know the conscience
with which you leave this court.

I have no further questions,
Mr President.

Court will adjourn for thirty minutes.

I save my comments
for after the verdict.

What are the consequences
of these revelations?

The prosecution

could have done without
this disastrous episode.

Isn't he ill?

It doesn't prove
the guilt or innocence

of Jacques Viguier,
but in the minds of the jurors...

Where's my mum?

No idea.
Isn't she supposed to be with you?

...the subornation of witnesses.

It throws doubt
on his testimony still to come

and on part
of the police investigation.

It is rare in a trial

for a witness to steal
the limelight from the accused.

What's going on?

Félix came to the brasserie.
You had his stuff.

Shit!

I couldn't explain on the phone.

The truth is always easier.

He told me everything.

And I saw your psycho wall.

You don't go in, we have rules.

Give it a rest!
Don't you realise we were worried?

My battery was dead.

And what's with the "we"?
You're not his dad.

- OK, I screwed up, but it was worth it.
- Tell your son.

Filou, I'm really sorry.

No, don't get mad.

- It was stupid, I...
- Get out!

Leave me alone! Get out!

It was a mad day.

I don't give a toss about your day!
Get out!

The lover in custody

He'll be charged, won't he?

It'll never be followed up.

- And the babysitter?
- You don't want her in prison?

But something has to happen.

This is Viguier's trial,
not Durandet's.

While he was in custody,

we got the chance to talk,
just the two of us.

I'm sure he remembers.

And...

I suggested
that we go and get the body.

I didn't want a confession.

What we, the investigators, wanted
was to find the body.

So,

we had this little chat and...

Mr Viguier

asked for time to think.

And...

it's hard to describe.

There was a very strange atmosphere.

It was in the eyes...

Then, all of a sudden, I don't know why,

he reverted to his initial attitude.

"I didn't do anything. It wasn't me."

Back to square one.
He withdrew into that position.

Superintendent,

is it true you offered
Jacques Viguier's father a deal,

predicting

a dark future for his grandchildren?

How could the police offer a deal
in the name of justice?

So it isn't true?

- You deny it?
- Absolutely.

I swear it.

- Excuse me...
- Mr Viguier!

Sit down, please.

You arranged

a reconstruction
of his supposed "jogging".

- How long did he take?
- Thirty minutes.

That's where we have a problem.

Thirty minutes isn't an hour.

Yes, we saw that it didn't match
the analysis of the phone data.

At the time he claimed
he was jogging,

there was a call to his mother.

It doesn't make sense,

especially as Mr Viguier

has a very good memory.

But there he's lost almost an hour.

The counsel for the defence.

You gambled everything on the husband
and got nothing.

Did you investigate the lover?

Olivier Durandet is a victim.

I deplore that he hid things from us,

but it doesn't change our case.

You talk of leads not followed up.

We can't run pointlessly
around Toulouse.

We prioritise witness statements,

and everything points to Mr Viguier.

To the husband.

No one provided us
with a serious alternative lead.

Neither Mr Viguier,
nor his family, nor his friends.

So you have no proof,

just the conviction
that he killed her.

My question is simple.

Where, when, how?

These are hypotheses, as I've said.

We lean towards an argument.

He didn't mean to kill his wife.
It was an accident.

- Then, after...
- After, it was the perfect crime!

No more questions.

Superintendent, thank you.

I suggest we adjourn for today.

Excuse me, Mr President.

I would like

to tell the court
about this message.

A woman called,
saying she was Suzy's decorator.

She says
she knew Olivier Durandet well

and will testify that she believes
he could have strangled her.

See how rumour works?

Three hours in custody,

a bit of press coverage,
and Durandet's accused of murder.

It was 40 hours for Viguier.

You can imagine the café gossip.

Court is adjourned

until 9 o'clock tomorrow.

I remember the decorator
from the recordings.

She has to testify, doesn't she?

- Didn't you hear me?
- She talked about strangling.

Everyone here has blood
and the mattress on their mind.

But Durandet talks all the time
about strangling.

We have to talk to her, I can do it.
What's her number?

Who do you think you are?

You're busting my balls!

COLETTE
Decorator

Colette...

We talked about it at school today.

Why would the lover have killed her?

She wanted a divorce, but didn't
necessarily want to live with him.

I think he found that out
as he drove her back that night.

They were in the car, it was dark,
they argued and he strangled her.

- People don't kill like that.
- They do. It's a crime of passion.

- Do you know what that is?
- No.

It's when things spin out of control

between two people who have
strong feelings for each other.

An argument gets out of hand,
they lose their temper and so on.

And often,
a crime of passion is by strangulation...

Do you never bloody well quit?

I may have something.
Want a lift?

No, I need to walk.

In the days after Suzy went missing,
Durandet called all her friends,

even people he barely knew
or didn't know at all,

whose numbers he shouldn't have had.

And where
was Suzy's address book found?

In her handbag.

He even called an old friend of Suzy,
some cop he doesn't even know.

Get in and have a listen.

My parents got a phone call
on Sunday at 2 p.m.

He asked for a David who knew Suzy.
So my mum said yes.

Hang on, who called you?

We don't know. He wouldn't say.

But he pronounced my name wrong.

He pronounced it Gassé,
so he's not someone who knows me.

He said, "Is that the David
who goes out with Ambre?"

Yes, there was a David and Ambre.

I wanted to know who called me.
I don't like that.

I thought he'd got hold
of an address book,

and I'd follow it up if I had to.

He got the wrong David.

Exactly.
He didn't know who he was calling.

The other David was a babysitter.

He was calling everyone.

When was that phone call?

A week after she went missing.
Before the handbag was found.

- Here, Maître.
- Thank you.

- What was his name again?
- David Gasser.

He kept the bag
because he needed the numbers.

Then he went and planted it.

You're jumping the gun.

Durandet killed her!

What's the motive?

They don't have a motive
for Viguier either!

My job isn't to find a culprit.

OK, Durandet's a serial slanderer,
but that doesn't make him a killer.

- If he planted the bag, he killed her.
- Not at all.

He just wanted to frame Viguier.

And Suzy could still have just gone.

Look...

The accusation is based
on one hypothesis.

If we come up with another,
the jury will pick the most convincing.

And it won't be yours.
The other's been there for ten years.

Doubt isn't about one possibility,
but all possibilities.

If you don't get that,
I can't help you.

Table 12.

Faster, faster!

We're losing customers.

Seriously?

- Where are you?
- At work.

Can you note where in the recordings
you found your selections?

I'd have to listen again
from the start.

Can you or not?

It'll take days.

Durandet will appear on Thursday.
Richiardi wants the references.

Why?

He wants to maintain control.
Can you do it?

I...

Get back in the kitchen,
we'll talk later.

Cut some bread, please.

I don't have any choice,
it has to be now.

I think you've screwed me around
enough as it is!

I have big personal problems.

- I can't...
- That's enough!

The door's there. Go if you want.

But don't come back.

Where's Nora? Go and get her.

Mum.

- What time is it?
- Nine.

- Shouldn't you be at school?
- I start at ten today.

Shit!

Court is in session.

You may be seated.

Call Mr Durandet.

Hello.

Tell us your full name,
age and profession.

My name is Olivier Durandet,

I'm 41

and I'm a sales events organiser.

Do you swear to tell the whole truth?

Raise your right hand
and say, "I swear."

I swear.

So,

this trip to the house
with the babysitter?

If you're asking if I went back
in the house with her,

the answer is yes.

I also told her
not to say anything about it.

But the reason was because...

if Jacques knew,
I wouldn't get to hear any news

or get any phone numbers.

The numbers for Suzy's sisters,
for example.

I didn't have them.

I had numbers for her card-playing
and dance contacts, but...

Was it a quick visit to the house?

Yes.

She kept saying,
"This is pretty weird."

She also said she was scared.

So...

It wasn't
a very honest thing to do, but...

I certainly couldn't make my living
as a burglar

because my heart was beating like mad.

And...

what were we looking for?

Just something to reassure me, really.

To see if she'd taken
any of her things.

The wardrobe was full.

But I didn't take or plant anything.

Not at all.

I understand why the defence
wants to sow that idea

because it's something
very compromising for his client.

He knows
because the first person to tell him

was me...
When you wanted to represent me.

- No.
- Oh, yes.

- No!
- You're embarrassed.

I am not, and I will tell you!

It was you who came to me in Lille!

Me? I've never been to Lille.

You are a liar!

You're a liar and a manipulator!

You manipulated the Toulouse police,
but not me.

- Of course!
- You came to me.

And I turned you away.

Don't get in such a state.

No, Maître, we're not falling for this.

I know it's your job, but...

Mr President, check my diary...

This isn't the court's remit.

I have the same phone, you can...

- That's enough!
- Continue the questioning.

Maître Dupond-Moretti, Mr Durandet.

- Of course.
- Sir.

You made a lot of phone calls,
including to people you didn't know.

Do you remember
trying to call a certain...

David Gasser

at his parents' home?

Is it someone I know,
or did someone give me his number?

During your call you said

that Mrs Viguier gave you the number
a year before.

It seems you were trying
to contact another David.

I don't remember.

Where's the Gasser recording?

Did you give it to me?

Yes, last week.

Shit, I don't have last week's!

I want to talk about Gasser.

I talked about that earlier.

How did you come to have
in your possession

the number of a man you didn't know
and who didn't know you,

since he called you Duraté?

I don't know.

Please show the jurors the handbag

which was found in the wardrobe

with Suzy's address book.

You're looking for a David.

I'll play the calls.

- I haven't finished.
- We'll listen.

I asked for the handbag,
not the calls.

Mr President...

I asked that question earlier.

I'm sorry,
but I'm leading up to something.

Leading up to what? Out with it!

- The handbag.
- You want the handbag.

Its contents.

- Please look in her address book.
- Yes.

- Under "G".
- Yes, David Gasser is there.

So, where did you find
that phone number?

I have no idea.

Someone must have given it to me.

Who and why?

Because...

- Hello?
- Jacques?

- Yes.
- It's Olivier.

- Olivier.
- All right?

I'm with the police so...

Did that David call you back?

A guy named David called.

I passed him to the police.

It was me who contacted him.

I thought it was David the babysitter.

It's better if you tell the police
all this yourself.

Hello, this is...

Olivier Durandet.

Superintendent Saby.

I was telling him
that I contacted David

because Suzy gave me that number
over a year ago.

But I didn't think I'd get that David.

I thought it'd be the David
who's a babysitter.

I think you got
all your answers there.

I don't remember
that conversation at all.

I won't just make stuff up.

I said I'd had the number
for over a year, from Suzy.

I don't know why, but...

Richiardi keeps thwarting me.

- What's our biggest bullet?
- The children.

- How long does it last?
- 17 minutes, I think.

Too long.

Find where he talks
about them suffering.

Shit!

The charger's in the car.

Hurry, I need it!

It's starting.

Mum, I've called the fire service.

I'm waiting outside the flats.
Call me back.

- Mum!
- What's going on?

Don't worry, Mum, I'm OK.

Don't move, Madam.

Madam, do you hear me?

We're carrying out some tests.

Don't move.

I have to call my son.

Yes, you can call him.

It's OK,
I don't care about the kitchen.

Don't cry, it doesn't matter.

I'll see you later.

Kiss-kiss!

Has your role in this
been exaggerated?

Yes.

The best way to divert suspicion
is to accuse someone else.

Can you turn it up, please?

He was very straightforward.

He admitted where he'd gone wrong.

I don't think anyone
could now suspect Durandet.

On the other hand, all the charges
against Viguier still remain.

There are hundreds of hours
of recordings.

Asking to play extracts
shouldn't be a problem.

I allowed your request,
I'm not responsible for the technology.

Tomorrow, then.

No, we will not carry on
like that tomorrow!

At some point I'll say enough!

What's going on?

- What happened to you?
- Nothing.

Just a bit of a fright.

And you?

- Are you sure you're OK?
- Yes.

Tell me what happened.

We should prepare the children
for a guilty verdict.

- Where is he?
- In the bedroom.

What did the doctor say?

- Did they do a scan?
- Yeah.

They don't care about the truth.

They're going to condemn
an innocent man.

Thanks.

Mum.

Yeah, we'll do it tomorrow.

Decorator

It's a drawing
that my brothers and I did.

There's "alive" and "dead".

It hurts to see him here...

when it's just one branch.

She loved us, I'm sure of that.

We don't want to believe she just left,
but it's possible.

Even if it means she abandoned us,

I prefer to believe Mum's alive.

There's no evidence that...

she's not alive.

The statement
of the 10-year-old Clémence Viguier.

"I remember that Sunday
in the middle of the holidays.

"I got up
and Mummy hadn't come home."

Now I...

I don't remember.

I can see myself in her bed,

but I don't know if she's there.

The trial of Jacques Viguier.

The prosecution
has begun its summing up.

The verdict is expected tomorrow.

Who'll stand up for Suzy?

Not her husband, he cheated on her.
Not her children,

they've chosen their father over justice.
Who can blame them?

No. The only one

to show any interest in Suzy

was Olivier Durandet.

That's why they tried to besmirch him.

Where?

Rue des Corbières.

When?

26th February 2000, at 4 a.m.

And how?

With his hands.

A miscarriage of justice

also means
when it is denied to victims.

How could you betray Suzy?
By denying her justice.

Come in. I couldn't tell you
everything over the phone.

The relationship
was being torn apart.

Jacques Viguier knew
he'd lose the divorce.

I still think, like at the first trial,
that he murdered her.

You think he could have strangled her?

Yes, strangled.

Or electrocuted.

It probably happened

at 4:30 a.m.

We cannot exclude the possibility
that Clémence awoke next to her mother

three hours later. I don't know.

Exercise your imagination.

Olivier is strong.

He could have carried Suzy
to the sofa bed, to frame the husband.

He'd have had to get rid of the body.

I think Viguier chopped her up.
He's a hunter.

I once saw him butcher a deer
in the garden.

- Call me back any time.
- Yes.

I know stuff no one else knows.

They wanted to open a nightclub.

He was going to leave his job
and do that with Suzy.

Yes, what?

It's Nora. I know the motive.

This is a nightmare,
I don't believe it!

I'll stay here all night.

You can't do this to me,
I'm doing my summing up tomorrow!

There's a motive.

Durandet had a business plan,
he needed Suzy's divorce money.

If Suzy left him,
he'd have lost everything.

Be quiet!

You don't understand the law,
you're dangerous!

You could do to Durandet
what was done to Viguier for ten years!

Don't you see? The motive
he attributed to Viguier was his own.

His status, the way others see him...

Durandet was talking about himself!
He'd have lost everything!

Legally, you've got nothing! Fuck all!

Now get out of my sight
and let me get some sleep!

Shit!

Look at yourself.

Your hatred is like theirs.
The same look as the superintendent.

You're another little Durandet.

Maître Dupond-Moretti,
whenever you're ready.

A few hours from now,

case number 3436

will have run its course.

It will be filed with other cases
in the national archive.

It'll be time for the next trial.

You will go home,

having sealed the fate of a man.

How can I put this?

I don't like this trial.

Firstly because I'm probably
the last voice to speak for a man

who has lost his own.

Also, and above all,

because I'm having to fight
against people's imagination.

This case,

because of the investigation's
blindness and deficiencies,

has become
the World Cup of different hypotheses.

In the morning!

No, at night!

Use your imagination, go on!

We're totally removed

from any sort of methodology.

It's a Kafkaesque trial.

A surreal trial.

The only question,

the only one...

Is there a single proof

of Jacques Viguier's guilt?

It's not your job
to dream up hypotheses.

This hard work should have been done,

with their sleeves rolled up,
by the police.

What if she simply went away?

What if she's still alive?
What if she hasn't come back?

What do the police have to say?

"It is not implausible..."

"It is probable..."

"I think..."

"I still think..."

The day
the police's conviction is enough

will be the day justice dies
and we'll just go off to bed.

They've hedged their bets

about him.

Viguier is clever
when he dumps the mattress,

but an idiot for keeping the handbag.

Of course he realised

that he shouldn't have thrown
the mattress away,

that the police took that
as evidence of his guilt.

He realised that it's hard to explain
why we do odd things.

But the psychiatrists told you
that throwing away that mattress

was a rejection.

An emotional act.

In so many divorces
people take it out on material things.

The mattress is like a partner's car,
no more nor less.

I find...

that there's been
something hellish about this.

It's like a bullfight.

We're not allowing Viguier to be
what we are every single day.

Because he crossed the Rubicon,
because he killed,

because he's a murderer?

That's what the police told us!

So you have a choice

between the superintendent and...

a citizen.

A man

who was told...

"Go and see your son
and get him to confess.

"Because if he doesn't,

"your granddaughter,

"your little Clémence,

"will become a whore.

"Guillaume and Nicolas
will end up junkies."

Weren't his superiors
outraged by that?

Wasn't the public prosecutor outraged?

Shame on you!

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury,

during this trial
I sensed that you were

captivated by the phone calls.

Consider that the superintendent
paid no attention to them.

Neither did the investigating judge
or his entire chambers.

We had to work through them,
ten years too late,

going through hundreds of hours,
to discover that Durandet lied.

I am not the prosecutor
and it is not up to me to demonstrate

Durandet's guilt.

But if we're in the domain of doubt,

is it impossible that Durandet
went back to plant the handbag

in order to frame Viguier?

It's only a hypothesis.

Another hypothesis.

But there are so many.

It was a lovely day that Sunday.

At about 1 p.m. Suzy woke up,
alone in the house.

We can very easily picture her
getting dressed,

putting her lenses in,

getting her mobile phone,

her chequebook and other papers,

going out, walking away...

I don't know about the rest.

And it is not my place
to say anything at all about that.

But what I do know,

what I can assert,

is that she could have gone out!

"Circumstances of disappearance.

"Sunday 27th February,
between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m."

There, that's what the police wrote.

Between 10 o'clock and 6 o'clock
she could have gone out.

Every year there's a large number

of unexplained disappearances.

I envy those legal soothsayers
who are unassailed by doubt.

I... don't know.

He hasn't been shown much kindness.

This man has been paying for ten years

for a crime of which a court
has already acquitted him.

Look at his perp face!

Filmed from afar,
filmed from up close!

Let's humiliate him!

Let's trample on him!

Let's have no respect
for the presumption of innocence!

How is it possible to live like that
for ten years?

The looks cast by neighbours,

by colleagues,
by people at the university!

Being held in custody!

Being deprived of his freedom!

The first trial and the disgusting
comments which followed that!

The second!

Say something! Move!

Defend yourself!

Justice, Mr President,
is first and foremost

the signature
of those who dispense it.

Before being a collective decision,
it is an individual decision.

It's you, Sir.

You, Madam.

You, Sir.

You, Madam.

You.

Sir.

A profound conviction, says the law,
is based on evidence.

And a miscarriage of justice
is not an accident.

It's wilfully playing fast and loose
with our principles.

If you condemn
with a total absence of proof,

then you will have judged...

but you will not
have dispensed justice.

Thank you, Maître.

Mr Viguier, do you have anything
to add in your defence?

It's been ten years of hell.

Sheer torment.

Do not make my whole world collapse.

Please restore my dignity as a man,

for my children

and for Suzy.

The bench will withdraw.

Mr Viguier,

you must remain here
while we deliberate.

I shall ask the journalists
and cameramen to leave.

Court is adjourned.

Ladies and gentlemen,

please rise.

You may be seated.

They looked over at him!

Mr Viguier, please stand.

To questions 1 and 2,
the jury has answered no,

making question 3 null and void.

The court declares
Jacques Viguier not guilty.

The hearing is over.

Wait for me.

Suzanne Viguier's death
has never been confirmed.

In France, over 40,000 people
disappear every year.

10,000 are never accounted for.

Apart from Jacques Viguier,
who is now definitively acquitted,

no other protagonist of case 3436
has been charged.

Inspired by the case, this film
includes several fictional elements.

The character of Nora and
her profound conviction are invented.