How realistic


I'd like Frenchmen to answer this:

I generally liked the movie, gave it 7/10 but I couldn't get over or even understand how self-righteous and borderline abusive these "cops" were to their suspects.

Can it really happen in France that you are likely to get arrested as soon as you do not give dinner to your toddler? Or, are you really supposed to divulge the details of your sex life in a room full of strangers, and if you don't cooperate, are likely to get beaten up by overworkded Child Abuse cop?

So in short, how close to reality is this film?

Thanks!

1/10

- don't worry that's just my signature.

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I am a Frenchman, and despite i never was in such situations , I definitely would say there is a strong felling of genuineness in this movie. It feels very real: the lack of means of the French police force ( remember the third missing car ), the way political influence can interfere, the involvement and roughlessness of the team members, the way they talk informally to suspects, etc.

I think though there are two scenes about Fred and Melissa characters a bit far-fetched, and for the same safety resaons: the scene when he makes her shoot a gun for the first time, and near the end of the movie, the scene when he makes her drive the police car with horns and the blue light.

Anyway that is my point of view...

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Im not French and I was really shocked by the shown behaviour of these so called "cops". They constantly acted like a bunch of overstrained, ludicrous or aggressive college-students and showed absolutely no respect to each other or the suspects (aka citizens) they interrogated. Everybody was shouting the whole time and nothing they did seemed in any way coordinated.

The whole "unit" just sits around in the office until they have to drive to a mission or a suspect/witness arrives. When they interrogate somebody they do it as a group and either are unbelievably pushy and rude or they even make fun of their counterpart. They simply didn´t act like police in a western society but as they lived in some kind of authoritarian police-state where cops stand above everybody else.

If this is the primitive reality of french police stations (what I highly doubt) than I am really glad to live in Germany. The cops here aren´t anything but perfect but most of them don´t treat citizens like this.

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1. This is a movie. Movies are not 'real life' by definition. Even if the director *wants* to portray realism, it will be his version, selection, colour of reality.

2. You don't know how 'real life at the child molester's squad' is until you've been there and done that. Most people get their idea of the reality of police work from tv-series or distant contacts with polite policemen who walk the streets.

3. Cultural differences exist. Being friendly or being direct looks different in Germany than in France. Or in Britain. Or in Mexico. Or in Singapore. Such differences do not reflect 'good' or 'bad'.

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1. You´re right but when a movie trys so hard to appear somehow "realistic" as this one it is justified to take this question into account.

2. I never said that I know how police work is done behind closed doors but even as an outsider I think it is not completely absurd to doubt the shown version of "reality" in this case.

3. Thanx for the lesson but everybody with eyes can see that nearly nobody of the suspects or even the witnesses in this movie felt treated with a minimum of respect. France is another country but it´s really not that far from where I live and it´s not exaggerated to say that >99% of the general population in every state of the world simply doesn't feel treated adequately when the police constantly shouts or makes fun of them. To understand this you don't have to do cultural studies.

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They constantly acted like a bunch of overstrained, ludicrous or aggressive college-students and showed absolutely no respect to each other or the suspects (aka citizens) they interrogated. Everybody was shouting the whole time and nothing they did seemed in any way coordinated.
This is often behaviour seen in adrenaline-driven operational work. High levels of stress and emotion flowing through the body do not make Buddhists.
The whole "unit" just sits around in the office until they have to drive to a mission or a suspect/witness arrives. When they interrogate somebody they do it as a group and either are unbelievably pushy and rude or they even make fun of their counterpart. They simply didn´t act like police in a western society but as they lived in some kind of authoritarian police-state where cops stand above everybody else.
The unit, when on duty, was shown as waiting for emergency calls to deal with. Some operational work is like this; you are paid to be there for whatever happens and whatever happens is, typically, unpredictable. I think some of what we saw was dramatic for the film although it's true that police assault detainees so it's not that far from the mark.
If this is the primitive reality of french police stations (what I highly doubt) than I am really glad to live in Germany. The cops here aren´t anything but perfect but most of them don´t treat citizens like this.
How you can write this after seeing the film I don't understand. You are not being shown ordinary cops and their work is not ordinary. You don't seem to understand the effects of trauma that is absorbed by those who confront it as part of their daily work.
I'm a fountain of blood
In the shape of a girl

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How about the untrained photographer being allowed to sit in on the sting? That part really bugged me.

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When they were mocking and laughing at that girl for giving oral sex to get back her 'smartphone', I was appalled. I just can't believe anyone is that incompetent or insensitive to do that to someone you're suppose to treat like a victim. That scene was cringe worthy, although I did chuckle when the officer came back into to the room to say "I lost my phone".

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This was the one scene that seriously almost lost me for the whole film. Yes, for 'normal' people it's ridiculous to hear when a young girl says that
she considers giving a blowjob in order to get her phone (no, wait, smartphone) back,
but should the officers tending to her not have some more respect? Very, very painful and almost embarrassing to watch--not for the girl's story, but for the police's reaction. Thinking about it, some of the scenes felt this way
(Why would Fred be allowed in the room while interrogating the 'important' father when he is known to have a bit of a tempter for instance?).
--it's a somewhat odd combination between the implied realism of the documentary feel and stylistic dramatisations.
The effect this film has is quite strong, but I guess this is mainly due to the horrendous details of these stories and not exactly because it's so well made.

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not 2 mention da scene where angry cop dancez wid fotographer is very laffable like they took it out of a very bad french rom com

I live, I love, I slay, and I'm content

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To answer to the first poster, as a Frenchman and a police officer.

Before arresting somebody, we like to back up the charges and be as sure as possible that the guy is guilty. In the case shown in the film, that would mean interrogating the mother, the daughter and send the latter to see a doctor in order to have a full medical report. We discuss the case between us, we ask ourselves if the victime can be believed : she could be manipulated by her mother for exemple. Then we call the public prosecutor who will order us what to do next.
We can't arrest a guy without the authorisation of the public prosecutor if the crime was commited more than one day ago. However, if he comes willingly to our office, we can put him in custody.

About a suspect divulging his sex life in a room full of police officer. Why not.
If he goes to court, he'll have to divulge it in front of a lot more people.

Suspect being hit isn't something we usually practice. It's bad for the case, and you can get fired. But accidents do happen.

Overall, I found the film realistic. It really reminded of a day's work : tje jokes, the problems between collegues, stupid victims, real ones...

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Is it anything to do with the inquisitorial rather than adversarial approach to cases?

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[deleted]

That's even more than I expected to learn about french police reality on this board.

What is appalling is that they didn't show a single suspect who didn't allow the police to lead him on. Is there anyone in France who knows their constitutional rights? Avoiding self-incrimination is certainly one of those.

my vote history:
http://www.imdb.com/user/ur13767631/ratings

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(Don't know about France in particular, but ) it isn't that long ago that the European Court of Human Rights, made it mandatory that a suspect can enjoy legal aid before any interrogation has taken place.

Since the so-called Salduz arrest.

Belgium, for instance, has incorporated this in their national law since 2011 (!) and the authorities are still struggling with the practical and legal implications of it.

Polisse dates form 2011, so it might very well be that the times they have a-changed in French police offices.



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I'm not French and I don't think you have to be French to answer about the reality of CPU work shown in this film. Child abuse is rife the world over and drives many economies.

I think these Qs

Can it really happen in France that you are likely to get arrested as soon as you do not give dinner to your toddler? Or, are you really supposed to divulge the details of your sex life in a room full of strangers, and if you don't cooperate, are likely to get beaten up by overworkded Child Abuse cop?
are disingenuous. This is not what the film was suggesting at all and you're being puerile asking such Qs.
I'm a fountain of blood
In the shape of a girl

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in Europe and many Asian countries, you are guilty until you prove your innocence. it is the opposite in north America.

it happens in north America all the time, putting cuffs on criminals, but not actually arresting them yet.

and for the laughing scene with the smartphone girl.
if you went to a police station, it is like that everywhere. i visited police stations in 3 different countries and they are all like that. there are officers and agents everywhere. and they talk to each other, even during writing statements and examinations or whatever. even at your work, think about it. anyone can interrupt you. someone else might join you or whatever. why police station be any different? it is another work place. it is not like a different world or anything.

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I agree : the laughing scene, like the squabbling and breaches of protocol all reflected the strain affecting the cops in this particular department. That's pretty much the main theme of the film.

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The scene with the girl who gave a blowjob to get her smart(!)phone back, was really funny. I think its very likely that policemen would be dying of laughter if somebody would tell them stuff like that in an interrogation. The officer hitting a suspect seemed over the top, however. I can understand that happening during an interrogation, but I can't understand how the officer could get away without any punishment.

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