FILMS OF THE MONTH
November 2019 | Sight&Sound | 53
From the very beginning, there is no
ambiguity about the offences. Though Ozon
was in close touch with the men he depicts,
he decided against contacting the Roman
Catholic establishment, as there is, given
Preynat’s confession, only one side to the story.
Cardinal Barbarin (François Marthouret),
whom we see in the first shot gazing across the
city of Lyon like some latter-day Rhone-Alpes
Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Régine Maire
(Martine Erhel), the psychologist in charge
of providing support to victims of priests,
are depicted as deeply conflicted, part of an
establishment simply refusing to learn lessons
yet parroting the language of modern therapy.
Much of the film is speedily and efficiently
established in voiceover by Alexandre’s
correspondence back and forth with Maire
and Barbarin. But it’s not all docudrama, and
sometimes Ozon can’t resist a splash of stylisation,
notably in the flashbacks to the scout camps of
the 1980s, when the offences took place. These
are dreamlike, their colours highly saturated.
The camera lingers a few extra seconds on
scenes of incipient predation with a delicacy
that only a master like Ozon could achieve.
At one point Alexandre’s wife tells him he’ll be
a victim all his life if he forgives Father Preynat.
This is just one of a number of ethical dilemmas
posed by the film, which doesn’t go with the
idea of redemption in the usual default mode of
Hollywood culture. The Church’s chief quandary
here is not the crime itself, but the fact that
Preynat will not ask his victims for forgiveness.
No doubt some Church conservatives will
characterise By the Grace of God as a takedown,
but this is simply not the case. Ozon is not
attacking the Roman Catholic Church, but
chiding it from the perspective of someone
who understands it. The film points to papal
pronouncements on the subject that dioceses
around the world are proving slow to adopt.
The film has more than one speed. Ozon
adapts his editing and lighting to suit each of
his three characters. Emmanuel’s sections are
dynamic, almost like a thriller. For François,
the tone is domestic, lower-middle-class
melodrama; for Alexandre it’s cool and cerebral,
reflecting his self-control and privilege.
In what is an innovation for the director,
two cameras are used for certain scenes to
allow more fluidity and fewer retakes. By all
accounts, Ozon made the film very quickly,
with a small crew and with constrictions he
hadn’t experienced since Under the Sand (2000).
The score, composed by Evgueni and Sacha
Galperine – best known for their work on
Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Loveless (2017) – resists
the temptation to overdo the cheap sentiment
of choral music featuring boy trebles to
the fore, often using simple chords instead,
cradling rather than dominating the film.
More than 70 alleged victims have been
identified by La Parole Libérée as this case
rolls on in the public eye. Most recently, in
July this year, the 73-year-old Preynat was
defrocked by the Vatican – though the date
of his criminal trial has yet to be set at the
time of writing. In the majority of cases,
the statute of limitations has expired.
Ozon is not someone you would normally
expect to eschew his usual gothic to make
public-service announcements in the manner
of this film, but what it shares with his other
works is a deep understanding of the way
trauma endures in the world. This film is an
amazing act of generosity by a major director.
France, 2014. A Roman Catholic cardinal contemplates
the city of Lyon from the top of the Basilica of Notre-
Dame de Fourvière in Lyon. Alexandre Guérin leaves
his comfortable apartment with his wife and five
children to attend Sunday Mass. In voiceover we hear
the letter Alexandre is writing to the cardinal, having
recently discovered that the priest who molested him
at scout camp in Portugal in the 1980s is still working
for the Catholic Church. We hear the clergyman’s
response in measured tones as he stands looking
out of the window of his study. Alexandre meets with
a female representative of the diocese, who listens
to his account of historical abuse. A reconciliation
meeting is arranged at which Alexandre’s abuser
Father Preynat is present. The priest admits his crime
but says that he is mentally ill, and will not apologise.
The cardinal refuses to see Alexandre and begins to
wind down the ecclesiastical investigation. Alexandre
persists. He forwards a letter from a friend who was
also abused by the priest. As Alexandre asks around,
more victims come forward to speak to him, including
François, whose family do not want him to confront the
Church. François goes to the police. The press becomes
involved. A website is set up to assist in the search for
more victims. A third key figure, Emmanuel, comes
forward. The film concludes with the real-life case
against Preynat unresolved.
Produced by
Eric Altmayer
Nicolas Altmayer
Screenplay
François Ozon
Director of
Photography
Manu Dacosse
Editing
Laure Gardette
Art Direction
Emmanuelle Duplay
Original Music
Composed and
Orchestrated by/
Keyboards and
Programming
Evgueni Galperine
Sacha Galperine
Sound
Brigitte Taillandier
Benoit Gargonne
Jean-Paul Hurier
Costumes
Pascaline Chavanne
©Mandarin
Production, FOZ,
Mars Films, France
2 Cinéma, Playtime
Production,
Scope Pictures
Production
Companies
Mandarin Production
& FOZ present
In co-production with
Mars Films, France
2 Cinéma, Playtime,
Scope Pictures
With the participation
of OCS, France
Télévisions
With the support of
the Centre National
du Cinéma et de
l’Image Animée,
Région Île-de-France
In association with
La Banque Postale
Image 12, Indéfilms
7, Cofinova 15, A Plus
Image 8, SG Image
2017, Palatine Etoile
16, Manon 8, Manon 9
A film by François
Ozon
Cast
Melvil Poupaud
Alexandre Guérin
Denis Ménochet
François Debord
Swann Arlaud
Emmanuel
Thomassin
Eric Caravaca
Gilles Perret
François Marthouret
Cardinal Barbarin
Bernard Verley
Bernard Preynat
Martine Erhel
Régine Maire
Josiane Balasko
Irène
Hélène Vincent
Odile Debord
François Chattot
Pierre Debord
Dolby Digital
In Colour
[1.85:1]
Subtitles
Distributor
Curzon Artificial Eye
French theatrical title
Grâce à Dieu
Credits and Synopsis
By the Grace of God is your first film about a
news story, and with so many characters...
My initial idea was to make a film about male
fragility. I’ve brought many strong female
characters to the screen. This time, I wanted
to turn my attention to men who are visibly
suffering and feeling emotional. The first idea
for a title was actually ‘The Crying Man’.
Then I came across the Preynat case. I read
stories of men who had been abused as children
at church. I was particularly moved by Alexandre,
a fervent Catholic who gave an account of
how he’d struggled in silence until the age of
40, when he finally felt able to tell his story.
At first I considered using this incredible
material to write a play, then I turned
to the idea of a documentary.
What made you decide to switch
from documentary to fiction?
When I started discussing my project in
concrete terms with the victims, I sensed
they were disappointed and reticent about the
documentary idea. They’d already given many
interviews to the media and been featured in
television reports and documentaries.
They were intrigued when a fiction
filmmaker approached them. They
imagined a film in the spirit of
‘Spotlight’ [2015], where
they’d become fictional
characters played by
famous actors.
So I thought: “This
is what they want
from me, and this
is what I know
how to do.” But I
approached the
fiction with some
trepidation,
because I really
liked these
people and feared
I wouldn’t be able to
bring them to
the screen in
a way that did
them justice.
Q&A François Ozon,
director
A RT
PRODUCTION
CLIENT
SUBS
REPRO OP
VERSION
FOTM, 2
