Documentary series. In the United States, a portion of the population believes that the country is on the brink of civil war: riots, violence, polarization… Journalist Hugo Travers, aka HugoDecrypte, went to investigate the subject. He headed to Chicago, to Ben and Sam, two brothers aged 16 and 17, who track Ice, the aggressive anti-immigration police of the country. They denounce the “rise of a fascist state” and the “destruction of democracy” and document what is happening at home and in Minneapolis. There, in front of the Ice headquarters, the crowd remains mobilized after the live murder of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. 27-year-old Lilith decides to arm herself and join a left-wing militia, while more and more young people buy weapons and learn how to use them. Trump’s America has never been so divided and the observation is terrifying!
Note: Sunday, April 26, at 8:45 pm.
2 “Lockerbie: Bombing at 35,000 Feet” on M6
Jim (Colin Firth) wants to uncover the truth: accident, terrorist attack, and if so, who are the perpetrators? (Carnival Film & Television Limited/Sky Studios Limited 2024)
Rating: 4/5
Series. December 21, 1988, in London. The Swire family is bustling with preparations for Christmas. One of the daughters, Flora, goes to meet her boyfriend in New York. But the Boeing 747 she boards explodes above the small residential town of Lockerbie, Scotland, killing over 270 people. The family’s father, Jim (Colin Firth), a doctor, decides to mobilize to uncover the truth: was it an accident, a terrorist attack, and if so, who are the perpetrators?
Eleven years after the tragedy, the trial of the two accused begins in the Netherlands, following Scottish law and after lengthy negotiations with Libya. Only one of the two men is convicted. In five gripping, almost documentary-like episodes, the series explores the dark areas of a tragedy, the families’ endless waiting, the political blockages. And painfully echoes today’s conflicts.
Note: Tuesday, April 28, at 9:10 pm.
3 “Dalloway” on Canal+
Will Clarissa (Cécile de France) unravel in her search for the truth? (Mandarin et Compagnie/Gaumont)
Rating: 4/5
Film. Clarissa (Cécile de France), a novelist struggling for inspiration, joins an ultra-technological artists’ residency. Her apartment is entirely controlled by a very efficient Artificial Intelligence named Dalloway, a reference to “Mrs Dalloway” by Virginia Woolf. Initially, the virtual assistant, voiced by Mylène Farmer, helps her write, organizes her days, and becomes almost a confidante. However, signs of drift quickly appear: too personal suggestions, intrusion into her intimacy, influence on her writing… Alerted by another resident (Lars Mikkelsen), Clarissa begins to suspect generalized surveillance and conducts her own investigation to understand what lies behind these walls. The gradual rise of paranoia gradually makes her lose her footing.
Yann Gozlan (“Black Box,” “Guru”) adapts the novel “Les Fleurs de l’ombre” by Tatiana de Rosnay and remains faithful to his style: a cold thriller focused on control and manipulation. Stunning!
TV movie. Lily (Canadian Erica Durance, known for “Smallville”) accompanies her mother Kate to visit Mary, her childhood friend, in Scotland, where the latter was born. A change of scenery for this American who has just divorced and left a strategic marketing job. With this trip, she intends to open a new chapter in her life and then go take photography courses in Seville. But that’s without counting on the reunion with Logan, one of Mary’s sons who raises his son alone since his wife’s death and has taken over the family distillery… For those anxious about current events, this lighthearted romantic comedy ticks all the genre’s boxes: a meeting, a lightning strike, an unexpected event (Kate’s hidden illness)… A good time in Scotland’s green and stunning landscapes!
Film. Michel (Franck Dubosc) and Cathy (Laure Calamy) live in an isolated area of the Jura Mountains. Everything changes when Michel has a car accident on a snowy road. When he encounters a bear, he kills two passengers. As he returns with Cathy to hide the bodies, they discover a large sum of money. Instead of alerting the authorities, they decide to keep the loot. From then on, troubles ensue: lies, stress, and the arrival of suspicious characters, drug smuggling migrants, a strange cop played by Benoît Poelvoorde… How does an initial bad decision trigger an unstoppable spiral?
For his third film, Franck Dubosc receives his first César and plays on the banality of the characters facing the gravity of the situations. Tense humor, close to dark comedy, where every attempt to get out worsens the problem. In the background, the winter setting reinforces the isolation and pressure. Unexpected and effective.
