There’s no statute of limitations on evil

New movie an important work of storytelling

BY THE GRACE OF GOD ★★★★ out of 5

Cast: Melvil Poupaud, Bernard Verley, François Marthouret

Director: François Ozon Duration: 2 h 17 m

As a young(ish) film critic back in 2002, I was introduced to the wonders of contemporary French film by François Ozon and his musical crime-comedy 8 Women, so I’ve long had a soft spot for this director.

But one needs no history with him to recognize his latest as an important work of storytelling, as it grapples with the fallout of sexual abuse cases faced by the Catholic Church in Europe.

“This film is a work of fiction, based on known facts,” the subtitles state.

But the names have not been changed to protect the innocent or the guilty.

If you want to know what happened to Father Bernard Preynat (Bernard Verley) or Cardinal Barbarin (François Marthouret) — there have been legal developments since the film was shot last year — you can Google them after the closing credits.

Basically, the movie explores what happens when adult survivor Alexandre (Melvil Poupaud) decides to confront his abuser many years later. The story proceeds for a time as letters written to church officials and read in voice-over — not the most dramatic retelling, but as the outrage mounts, so does the film’s tension. And eventually we move into more standard re-enactment.

Alexandre is 40, with a loving wife and five children, and still very active in the Church. His Church-arranged meeting with his abuser is bizarre — the priest openly admits to what he did, and seems regretful, but does not apologize. When the local Cardinal gets involved, Alexandre asks whether Father Preynat will be defrocked. “All in good time,” says the Cardinal — not a hopeful phrase for a priest in his 70s, from an institution that counts time in centuries.

But what starts out as Alexandre’s lone crusade quickly mushrooms into a local movement after others get wind of it and step forward with their own stories. Ozon, who wrote as well as directed the film, sketches out several victims (the film’s choice of term), in various stages of denial and anxiety.

One man has left the Church completely as a result of what happened to him, and declares himself an atheist.

Another, still a practising Catholic, argues that he’s doing this for the good of the Church, not against it. But the message is clear; when someone’s faith in humanity is shaken by a crime within Church walls, their capital-F Faith may also shatter.

The film takes its title, By the Grace of God (Grâce à Dieu), from the French phrase whose English equivalent is “Thank God.” It was spoken by Cardinal Barbarin during a news conference in 2016 when he said: “Grâce à Dieu ces faits sont prescrits.” Roughly: “Thank God the statute of limitations has expired.” He later said he misspoke. God only knows.