The Goldman Case: Film Review
The Goldman Case (or Le Procès Goldman) is a French courtroom drama that somehow manages to turn a really interesting real-life trial into a film that really tests the concentration.
Set in November 1975, the film depicts the appeal of French left-wing revolutionary Pierre Goldman (Arieh Worthalter). He was sentenced to life imprisonment for four armed robberies, one of which resulted in the death of two pharmacists. Goldman recognises his involvement in the three earlier robberies but insists he had nothing to do with the pharmacy one.
Aside from the opening scene, The Goldman Case is set entirely in the courtroom. It is dense, dialogue-heavy, and doesn’t make the most of its biggest moments. This isn’t a Hollywood legal movie that really amps up the drama, this is a no-frills film that simply presents the trial in a straightforward manner. There were points during the mid-section where I struggled to focus and glazed over because some of the testimonies were rather dull.
Thankfully, Goldman is a livewire and constantly speaks out of turn from the dock. Rather than letting his lawyers speak on his behalf, Goldman often interrupts testimonies to challenge other people’s accounts and berates the prosecuting team for not sticking to the facts of the case. He also openly insults them, calling them fascists and racists for allegedly using him – a Jew – as a scapegoat in the pharmacy killings.
I was grateful for his outbursts because they added drama, livened up proceedings and broke up the dreary testimonies. Also, the courtroom is filled with Goldman’s supporters, who become unruly and chant for him. The hearing becomes quite a circus, with everyone talking out of turn and over each other. Where is the order?!
Worthalter won the Best Actor Cesar Award for his performance as Goldman and it’s clear to see why. His angry and frustrated performance was captivating and the film was less interesting whenever he wasn’t on-screen.
The Goldman Case told an interesting real-life story and had a solid pay-off but its no-frills approach didn’t quite work for me.
In cinemas from Friday 20th September