When nuclear power trade unionist Maureen Kearney (Isabelle Huppert) discovers that her new boss Luc Oursel (Yvan Attal) is orchestrating a deal with a Chinese nuclear power company that will jeopardise 50,000 French jobs, she plans to leak the information. However, this decision results in Maureen being violently sexually assaulted in her home, with her attacker leaving her bound and gagged as a means of intimidating her into silence. As the police investigate the case, suspicion turns towards Maureen having fabricated the attack, putting pressure on her, along with supportive husband Gilles (Gregory Gadebois), to clear her name and find justice.
Director Salome and co-writers Fadette Drouard and Caroline Michel-Aguirre adeptly play with the audience’s expectations during the film’s first act, with the focus on Maureen’s fight to expose the deal leading first-time viewers to expect a narrative similar to Silkwood or Erin Brockovich – that of one woman against the might of male-dominated corporate interests.
However, the introduction of the sexual assault focuses the narrative towards a different conflict – that between a female victim and the misogynistic law enforcement and justice systems. We see how Maureen’s claims are disassembled by the police investigating the case and how they accuse her of setting up the crime scene herself, as well as institutional sexism as a sympathetic female police officer is undermined when she links Maureen’s case to a series of previous sexual assaults on women. Maureen’s experiences with sexism are highlighted early in the film in her heated confrontations with Oursel, who becomes physically aggressive when provoked enough. Salome, Drouard and Michel-Aguirre also ensure that the impact of the case on Maureen and her family is acknowledged in depth, showing how her relationships with Gilles and her daughter are harmed by the allegations made against her.
Balancing these multiple aspects of the narrative is why a skilled actress like Huppert is needed for the role of Maureen, as she so adeptly essays the character’s multiple roles, from confident whistleblower to vulnerable rape victim and volatile wife and mother, that Maureen emerges a fully-fledged three-dimensional character. In addition, Gadebois impresses as the beleaguered Gilles, allowing moments of vulnerability to show in his overall characterisation of the supportive husband role that, as with Huppert’s performance, add more dimensionality to the character and make him seem more human.
La Syndicaliste is a gripping thriller that initially promises to dramatise corruption within the French nuclear industry but instead delivers a stinging attack on misogyny within the French judicial system. Huppert excels in bringing the real-life struggles of Maureen Kearney to life on screen in this must-see film.
Now showing in selected cinemas