Le mensonge

Superb 'fictional' adaptation of Christian Iacono's true story. When a nine year old boy accuses his grandfather of rape, the world of this esteemed Mayor collapses.

Supported by his family (though not his son - the boy's father) and several townspeople, he starts a fight that lasts a decade and longer to prove his innocence.

The stalwart Daniel Auteuil is excellent as the brandished Claude Arbona, He is 'quiet' actor. He never resolves to histrionics and ham and stays within the perimeter of his character; focused and honest. It's just a sheer joy to watch him.

This presence inspires the rest of the cast to feliver very good performances all round. His friend in jail is but one example.

Le Mesonge (The Lie) is French cinema at its best. albeit produced and performed here for television. The script keeps you guessing, even once or twice changing sides, and the suspense is maintained throughout. The four part series is certainly much more than just court room drama or detective story. It has great insight into the psyche of all concerned and elevates it to the art genre without becoming arty-farty.

Excellent viewing

Vincent Garenq is André Cayatte's psychic son and proof positive that this much maligned director was actually very important ,weren't it only because he was ,in 1953, the first director to denounce death penalty and the unspeakable ceremony of the executions in his land .

Although fictionalized ,Garenq films are often based on actual events ,news items which were widely talked about in his native France;in 2011 ,"présumé innocent" depicted a situation quite similar to that of " le mensonge" ; later in "au nom de ma fille ,he already used highly talented Daniel Auteuil.

It was only natural he chose the great thespian for his miniseries: the actor,never ,never overplaying ,gives an extremely restrained performance , the most adequate move when you are overtaken by events, and when your grandson you love dearly accuses you of the worst crime (rape); Auteuil dominates the movie ,one can feel his agony ,his despair all along his interminable martyrdom which spanned a decade ;there are flaws :the character of the father is not developed enough and too much time is given to the lawyer who has a tendency to overplay ; the story of the child-turned-young man is sometimes confused .

But Daniel Auteuil makes it all worthwhile .and Garenq's charge against the preposterous side of French justice -which former collegue Cayatte (himself a lawyer) often denounced -, against psychology which is not always ,as everybody knows,an exact science ,all this is convincing .

This is the usual French TV series, complete with histrionics, a lot of shouting, flowery language, and philosophical musings. It shows the failings of a judicial system, the working of which are particular to France. The basis for the accusations is a lie due to family dysfunction, which spirals out of control, but takes root in an apparently biased system of expert witnesses, courts and judges. The series itself is not great, but set in Nice where the scenery is visually stunning.

Auteuil carries the role of the lead character well, assuming that the character is meant to be one who looks perpetually confused and bewildered by the surrounding events.