Je Verrai Toujours Vos Visions review

direction: Jane Henry | Scenario: Jane Henry | ejaculate: Elodie Boucher (Judith), Slimane Ibrahim (Fanny), Jean-Pierre Darussin (Michel), Adele Exarchopoulos (Chloe Delarmé), Leila Bekhti (Nauel), Gilles Lelouch (Grégoire), Miu Miu (Sabine), Daly Bensalah (Nassim) . ), Piran Ba ​​(Issa) | game time: 119 minutes | year: 2023

Standing face to face with a criminal. Many people prefer not to do this. However, this is the principle of restorative justice I come back to your visions. A crime victim is given the opportunity to start a conversation with offenders who have committed a similar crime, with the goal of helping victims process their trauma. It sounds like an interesting subject, ripe for confrontation and tension, but unfortunately it results in a long and rambling film.

I come back to your visions It consists of two stories that illustrate two restorative justice processes. The majority of the film’s events revolve around a group session in which the victims of a violent robbery, Sabine, Noël, and Gregoire, talk to the criminals, Nassim and Issa. The other story is the story of Chloe, who was raped by her older brother Benjamin during her childhood. When Chloe learned that he had been released and gone to live in the same city, she decided to arrange a meeting with Benjamin through an intermediary.

I come back to your visions It’s a busy film that tries to draw attention to everyone: victims and offenders, but also people who work in the field of restorative justice. As a result, not everything comes out well. Chloe’s story seems to be ignored because the focus is mainly on the group of victims. In addition, criminals also receive less attention. There is almost nothing to see of prison life. The prisoners’ motives for committing the crime were also left largely unresolved.

The film devotes a lot of time to the victims in the group and results in great acting. Laila Bakhti excels because she shows all sides of trauma: her frustration and sadness that she still cannot get her life back, her fear that she will face the perpetrator again, but also her anger at the criminals. All these emotions can be read from her face, so she does not leave you for a moment.

Additionally, Chloe’s situation clearly shows that bringing up unpleasant events through restorative justice has an impact on your mental health. Chloe almost fell back into her habit of slitting her wrists. This makes I come back to your visions In a film that gives space to show that trauma stays with you for a long time and cannot be resolved easily. It is a shame that this seems to apply only to victims, and that the feelings and thoughts of criminals are given little space, as we mentioned.

A lot of time is wasted explaining restorative justice. Especially at the beginning, every step in the action is explained to the viewer through dialogue. As a result, the story starts out slow, predictable, and not very exciting. During a group session, it quickly becomes clear that everyone is having an emotional monologue telling their story. The plodding plot doesn’t really hold your attention. What doesn’t help is that each monologue is filmed in much the same way with little noticeable or varied use of the camera.

I come back to your visions It addresses a socially important topic and shows the emotional impact of crime and subsequent trauma in a realistic and comprehensive way. Unfortunately, this important and special message is not adequately conveyed due to the unexciting tone of the story.