Beyond Hatred (Au-delà de la haine) Olivier Meyrou France 2006
At one moment in this harrowing documentary the parents of a murdered son point out that one of his accused attackers would only express remorse when directed to publicly by his defence lawyer during the trial. At times like this anyone who’s had the luck not to know anybody who has been murdered must share, however fleetingly, the stomach churning sensation of how exactly it might feel. Oliver Meyrou’s film Beyond Hatred is full of such horrific moments as various people connected to the trial of the three skinheads who murdered François Chenu in September 2002 reflect upon the nature of punishment and redemption.
Chenu was in the wrong place at the wrong time. His killers were out for trouble in Reims, France, and purposefully went out on that evening 'looking for an Arab'. Instead they found François Chenu who, because he openly admitted his homosexuality was beaten nearly to death and then dumped in a lake where he drowned. Filmed two years after the killing, when the case made it to court, Beyond Hatred is obsessed with the parental and family reactions to the killers sorting through their various feelings on the matter. Other people are covered including the attorneys of both parties in the trial. Notably the killers themselves are never interviewed or even seen.
The documentary in the end is really all about them. By not showing them directly Beyond Hatred marks out its subject territory well, at the expense of better identifying with the one of the core issues - can the killers ever be redeemed. There may well have been legal implications in showing the killers but the film is lessened slightly by spending so much time talking about them (was it society that made them do it, their upbringing etc) but not giving them their say. It is debatable from the impression given that they would have anything revelatory to reveal but with the greatest respect to the Chenus the film feels occasionally like an ever so slightly paternalistic talking shop. Everybody should be invited to the table to have their say - even the killers. The closest we are allowed to get are brief interviews with the father and aunt of one of the killers. The father who initially tried to help cover up evidence related to the crime, acknowledges the severity of the situation but is understandably extremely guarded. He eventually did prison time for his involvement.
Ensuring that they all get appropriately lengthy sentences is one thing but the Chenus understandably simply can't comprehend why people would do something like this. The emphasis here is on change - whether the attackers will change or learn from the havoc they have caused. From this stance for all the talk of societal factors that might prompt someone to get involved with the wrong crowd, if one of the accused can’t even express sorrow at trial for committing such a senseless act of brutality then what has it all been for?
Traumatic as it is to watch the Chenus talk so candidly about their feelings throughout the trial, Beyond Hatred is hamstrung by the length of time everything has taken to happen. One might be outraged by the act but this is a long look at the eventual wheels of justice and is stiffly inaccessible because of it. The legal retribution by the state is sure and steady, with a verdict that is never in doubt but it takes years to happen. It is at times difficult though to key into the kind of feelings they must all feel. Just thinking about the murder makes me personally feel angry and Meyrou’s film doesn’t quite bring one to where the Chenus are and I am thankful for this. It is stunning that the Chenus are able to forgive their son’s killers and a major achievement that Olivier Meyrou has managed to capture some of this.
