10th District Court

This unusual documentary offers American viewers a close-up look at France's judicial system, which is considerably different from our own. Award-winning filmmaker Raymond Depardon (Delits Flagrants) was granted special permission to shoot inside the Parisian courtroom of Judge Michele Bernard-Requin over a three-month period in 2003, documenting the proceedings against 12 men and women accused of crimes of varying degrees of severity. Depardon's work reveals numerous factors that influence the prosecution of French citizens—among them class and racial disparities—and while in some cases the hearings are very funny, in others they are deadly serious (and altogether unpredictable). Each defendant represents a different narrative thread in the film, with Depardon tracking their trials from opening statement to final verdict. Presenting an interesting perspective on a foreign judicial system, 10th District Court is recommended. (E. Hulse)