Tough Being Loved by Jerks

The murderous assault by Islamic gunmen on the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo in January 2015 lends special poignancy to Daniel Leconte's 2008 documentary, which features some of the victims. Tough Being Loved by Jerks offers an account of the 2007 trial in which the magazine defended itself against accusations brought by the Great Mosque of Paris that in reprinting cartoons depicting Muhammad (which had caused controversy when published in a Danish newspaper the preceding year), and adding some new ones drawn by its own staff (including an image of the prophet with a bomb in his turban), Charlie Hebdo had violated laws against hate speech by insulting persons of a particular religion. Since the trial was closed, the proceedings are reconstructed from comments recorded in the courthouse lobby (where supporters on either side expressed their views), as well as later interviews with lawyers, witnesses, and members of the magazine's staff. Some of this can be awfully dry, especially for those not familiar with the niceties of French law; but the documentary is enlivened by news footage of politicians caught up in the controversy, and appearances by celebrities such as filmmaker Claude Lanzmann (Shoah) who come to support the principle of free speech (the offending cartoons, incidentally, are included here). Anyone who embraced the slogan “Je suis Charlie” will find this to be a remarkable record of a key case that would eventually precipitate an act of extremist violence and ultimately bring the Western world together in mournful protest of terrorism. Recommended. (F. Swietek)