Muriel is a sequel to, or rather an extension of,Délits Flagrants by the master-documentary-maker RaymondDepardon. Depardon has made several important documentaries aboutthe functioning of organisations and institutions such as thepolice, the press and hospitals. In Délits Flagrants hispenetrating gaze was fixed on public prosecutors and theirsuspects. One of them now takes a leading role in Muriel.’Muriel’ (not her real name) is a drug addict, prostitute, sero-positive and caught red-handed stealing cars. The film followsthe legal case against her. Through her answers to thequestioning by the public prosecutor and her lawyer, the filmshows how Muriel came to commit her crimes and how an individual,like a cornered cat, can react extremely to extreme conditions.The real events are moving thanks to their realism and dramaticforce. Just as in Délits Flagrants in MurielDepardon observes the French legal system with a neutral andhence disconcerting gaze. The viewer is an eye witness tosituations that would otherwise not be accessible to audiences.In the claustrophobic space of this theatrical chamber work, realinterrogations take place. The cineaste magnifies reality byshooting his documentary with the technical facilities of thecinema film: 35mm and Dolby stereo. He chose a taut, simple andhence inescapable way of observing, making the large camera onthe stand a protagonist too.
