La fille de Brest

A well told story with an outstanding performance. Entertaining. 7.5/10

It may be surprising but I'll begin with the movie weaknesses in my opinion:

• First, its title (at least the French one). I don't understand that choice. Even if this Mediator affair exists thanks to Brest doctors whitleblowing - and the fight the movie will relate, I doubt it was an important point in the public mind, and was not at least in mine.
• Second thing, it risks having people thing that this is a French "Erin Brockovich". Which is not.
• And last, its start, which is a bit weak, especially the study part which could have been shown differently (Spotlight is a great example in that regard).

Despite these, it is a great movie. It tells without fault this scandal. A double scandal, as the company clearly cheated to make money on the health of the patients but French State has also failed in its mission of pharmacological surveillance. It tells this without relating to special effect, distorting the truth or simplifying facts. Worth the fight of Irene Flachon actually. Speaking the truth, unvarnished, is not an easy fit (and we see in many movies that directors fears it won't be enough) but Emmanuelle Bercot trusts this story. She sticks to a simple way to film it, but that works and the movie get you involved in this fight. On top of that, Sidse Babett Knudsen is doing a great job and I guess Irene Frachon can be happy with this casting.

It also shows how difficult is to escalate something abnormal, even in a country like France, as soon as there is big money implied. "The Clearstream Affair" illustrates the same thing when it comes to finance, still sticking to EU countries, as well as a lot of other whistleblower stories, less known. Learning how to recognize and hear them is also an important aspect in "La fille de Brest" and I do hope this society issue will be tackled serioulsy (Law changed in France in 2016, with difficult debates about what can be done, giving birth to a better but still unsatisfying solution).

Unlike many other lesser foreign films of the last few decades, there's no awards fanfare for this earnest French production, that tells the important true story of the battle fought by a small 'provincial' medical team - against a Pharmaceutical giant peddling a deadly medication. It almost seems if your intentions are honorable in modern Film Festivals they don't particularly want to know you. While the movie's style may not always be agreeable to all tastes (with its detailed analysis), it far outshines many I've seen given rave reviews by festival critics. It certainly is an honest one - with the entire cast and crew working hard to bring this powerful true story to life. Particularly noteworthy are Sidse Babette Knudsen, as Irene Frachon who waged a near single-handed war against powerful odds. Benoit Magimel is her equal, playing her nervous collaborator. All up, this brave movie is deserving of better praise than some have given and, is well worth viewing by audiences concerned with bringing life-saving truth to the wider world. Unlike other endless MA+ and R rated entries that premiered this month (and will run several times during the month) this entry will be hard to find (if not wasted) as World Movies will only run it once! What else could we expect from SBS and their cheap world movies channel!

This movie shows what we have to face nowadays as we follow our own conscience and deep feelings of right against wrong. It is very well played by an actress that is playing over-the-top, but hits the nail with it perfectly. If you go into battle with pharmaceutic industry you will get kind of HYPER, and all kind of doors will literally seem to close or bother your way in or out. The movie is based on a real life story, and that's the only way one can tell such a story, because if it was made-up it could not have worked for this purpose. The movie very suitable for waking up the insomnia that has taken many of us, who are sitting in the waiting rooms of life, because doctors kept them drugged. I did get a lot of energy from the movie, which one cannot say about movies like 'Elle'or "Brimstone' that make women avengers of a way as in the Israelian army. Not interesting story lines for me. So I rated this movie very high, because of integrity and way the story line kept me into it.

Physician realizes that there is a link between patient deaths and a commonly used diabetes drug. She naively thinks that pointing this out will lead to action to pull the drug. But instead, she encounters bureaucratic roadblocks, manufacturer denial, threats of lawsuits and to her career, as well as to her colleagues, and of course the always used need for further study. Basically greed on the part of drug maker, which has money for access to top specialists/consultants doing their bidding, and infiltrates agencies supposedly entrusted with protecting the public. Will not give away more here.

Excellent not just as a social statement, but also for drama and suspense, as well as a slice of the human dimension in these types of stressful situations that a person may encounter. My comments based on seeing the film at its World Premier at TIFF. Additional comment is that the director at the Q&A after the film stated that the film is very faithful to the original story.