La mort n’existe pas

A group of activists plans an assassination attempt on a wealthy family to hasten the downfall of what they see as an unjust system. Hélène is the only one that doubts the legitimacy of their plan. Nevertheless, she agrees to take part, but at the crucial moment she cannot bring herself to kill. The assassination attempt fails and ends in a bloodbath – Hélène is the only survivor and manages to escape into the forest. Plagued by guilt and the ghosts of her fallen comrades, she agonises over the moral implications of her actions and questions how to move forward. 

When is violence a legitimate form of resistance? How far can you go for your personal convictions? These questions, which have been intensely debated for centuries, serve as the starting point for Félix Dufour-Laperrière’s third directorial work. The filmmaker, whose last film “Archipel” was screened at Fantoche in 2022, depicts Hélène’s personal search for meaning in poetic images, yet does not shy away from the candid portrayal of brutal violence. The result is a film that is as disturbing as it is gripping, leaving us without easy answers but providing ample food for thought and heated discussions. (Mischa Haberthür)