The Accusation (2021 film)

2021 courtroom drama film

The Accusation

Theatrical release poster

French| Les Choses humaines
Literally| Human Things
Directed by| Yvan Attal
Screenplay by|

* Yaël Langmann
* Yvan Attal

Based on| Les Choses humaines
by Karine Tuil
Produced by|

* Olivier Delbosc
* Yvan Attal

Starring|

* Ben Attal
* Suzanne Jouannet
* Charlotte Gainsbourg
* Mathieu Kassovitz
* Pierre Arditi
* Audrey Dana
* Benjamin Lavernhe
* Judith Chemla

Cinematography| Rémy Chevrin
Edited by| Albertine Lastera
Music by| Mathieu Lamboley

Production
companies

* Films Sous Influence
* Curiosa Films
* Gaumont
* France 2 Cinéma

Distributed by| Gaumont

Release dates

* 9 September 2021 (2021-09-09) (Venice)
* 1 December 2021 (2021-12-01) (France)

Running time

| 138 minutes
Country| France
Language| French
Budget| €7.9 million[1]
Box office| $1.4 million[2]

The Accusation (French: Les Choses humaines, lit. 'Human Things')[3] is a 2021 French courtroom drama film directed by Yvan Attal. The screenplay, written by Attal and Yaël Langmann, is an adaptation of the 2019 novel Les Choses humaines by Karine Tuil. It had its world premiere on 9 September 2021 at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, and was released in France by Gaumont (company) on 1 December 2021.

## Plot

[edit]

Alexandre Farel is the son of a prominent television presenter, Jean Farel. Claire, his mother, left Jean and lives with Adam Wizman, who is also separated from his Orthodox Jewish wife, with whom he has a daughter, Mila. When Alexandre returns from finishing his studies in the United States, he accompanies his mother for an evening and meets Mila. Together, they go to a party for the former students of Lycée Henri-IV. The next day, the police arrest Alexandre, who has been accused of rape by Mila. He denies the charge and argues that the act was consensual. The event sends the families into a breakdown as their lives are torn apart by the trial.

## Cast

[edit]

* Ben Attal as Alexandre Farel
* Suzanne Jouannet as Mila Wizman
* Charlotte Gainsbourg as Claire Farel
* Mathieu Kassovitz as Adam Wizman
* Pierre Arditi as Jean Farel
* Audrey Dana as Valérie Berdah
* Benjamin Lavernhe as Maître Arthur Célerier
* Judith Chemla as Mila's lawyer
* Hervé Temime as Maître Lancel
* Franz-Rudolf Lang as Maître Rozenberg
* Réjane Kerdaffrec as Anne Collet
* Gérard Watkins as Avocat Général
* Laetitia Colombani as Psychologist
* Jean-Charles Piette as Expert Psychiatrist
* Marie Dompnier as Madame Vallet
* Jean-Toussaint Bernard
* Romain Cottard
* Zakariya Gouram
* Laëtitia Eïdo as Yasmina Vasseur
* Camille Razat as Quitterie
* Emmanuelle Lepoutre
* Anne Bouvier as Madame Ballard
* Marie-Bénédicte Roy as Marianne
* Joaquim Fossi
* Angèle Metzger
* Fahmi Guerbaa
* Julie Fournier as Florence Laplace
* Fabrice Drouelle

## Production

[edit]

The palais de justice of Créteil serves as the setting of the film.

The screenplay is inspired by the novel Les Choses humaines by Karine Tuil, published in the summer of 2019, which notably won the Prix Interallié and the Prix Goncourt des Lycéens. Karine Tuil herself was inspired by a news story that occurred on the Stanford University campus (the 2015 rape case of Stanford student Brock Turner) to write the novel.[4]

Yvan Attal directs his partner Charlotte Gainsbourg in the film as well as their son, Ben Attal — both of whom already starred in his previous film, My Dog Stupid, released in 2019.

Principal photography began in August 2020.[5] Filming especially took place in the courthouse of Créteil (Val-de-Marne).[6] Filming took place in Paris until 7 November 2020.[7][8]

## Release

[edit]

The Accusation had its world premiere on 9 September 2021 at the 78th Venice International Film Festival.[9] The film was also screened at 47th Deauville American Film Festival on 11 September 2021.[10] It was theatrically released in France by Gaumont (company) on 1 December 2021.[11]

## Reception

[edit]

### Box office

[edit]

The film sold 182,074 admissions in France,[12] grossing a domestic total of $1.3 million.[2]

### Critical response

[edit]

The Accusation received an average rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars on the French website AlloCiné, based on 28 reviews.[13] On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 88% based on 8 reviews, with an average rating of 7.8/10.[14]

Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "The film tends to overstay its welcome, mostly because Attal doesn't know when to cut a scene short, or otherwise cut away, and let us think for ourselves".[3]

### Accolades

[edit]

Award  | Date of ceremony  | Category  | Recipient(s)  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

César Awards | 25 February 2022 | Best Adaptation | Yaël Langmann, Yvan Attal | Nominated  | [15]
Miskolc International Film Festival | 17 September 2022  | Emeric Pressburger Prize for Best Feature Film  | The Accusation | Nominated  | [16]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Domenech, Claire (15 February 2023). "Le pactole touché par Yvan Attal pour "Les choses humaines"". Capital.fr (in French). Retrieved 15 February 2023.
2. ^ a b "The Accusation (2021)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
3. ^ a b Mintzer, Jordan (10 September 2021). "'The Accusation' ('Les Choses humaines'): Film Review | Venice 2021". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
4. ^ "Les Choses Humaines : Yvan Attal tourne un film sur le consentement". Orange / Cinéday. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
5. ^ "Les Choses humaines : Yvan Attal adapte le roman éponyme de Karine Tuil". Première.fr. 11 August 2020.
6. ^ "Créteil : Yvan Attal tourne un film avec Charlotte Gainsbourg au palais de justice". Le Parisien (in French). 14 August 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
7. ^ Lemercier, Fabien (25 August 2020). "Yvan Attal shoots The Accusation". Cineuropa. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
8. ^ "Les Choses humaines". TSF.fr (in French). 13 October 2020. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
9. ^ "78 Mostra internazionale d'arte cinematografica – La Biennale di Venezia – Programma" (PDF). Mostra de Venise (in Italian). Retrieved 23 November 2021..
10. ^ "Les Choses humaines". Festival du cinéma américain de Deauville. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
11. ^ "Les choses humaines d'Yvan Attal en salle partout en France". blog.gaumont.fr (in French). 1 December 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
12. ^ "Les Choses humaines". JPbox-office.com (in French).
13. ^ "Critiques Presse pour le film Les Choses humaines". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 17 May 2023.
14. ^ "The Accusation". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
15. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (26 January 2022). "Adam Driver, 'Annette,' Celine Dion Biopic and 'Lost Illusions' Lead France's Cesar Nominations". Variety. Retrieved 15 February 2023.
16. ^ "FESTIVALS: CineFest 2022 Announces Full Lineup". Film New Europe Association. 26 August 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* The Accusation at IMDb
* The Accusation at Rotten Tomatoes

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Yvan Attal

* My Wife Is an Actress (2001)
* Happily Ever After (2004)
* New York, I Love You (2008)
* Do Not Disturb (2012)
* The Jews (2016)
* Le Brio (2017)
* My Dog Stupid (2019)
* The Accusation (2021)
* Breaking Point (2023)

*[Ref.]: Reference(s)
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template