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On July 13, 2022, Dominik Moll revealed The night of the 12th. A feature film with national resonance, recounting a case haunting a group of investigators. Yohan, Marceau… They are all looking for the murderer of Clara, a young woman burned alive in a suburban neighborhood, and come up against many walls. With six Césars including that for best film, The night of the 12th was inspired by the feminicide of Maud Maréchal, which occurred a little less than ten years earlier.
More than ten years later, the savage murder of Maud Maréchal still not elucidated
The murder of Maud Maréchal took place, not between Grenoble and Saint-Jean de Maurienne, but in Lagny-sur-Marne. On the night of May 13 to 14, 2013, this 21-year-old waitress was in the company of several friends at a neighbor’s house, during an evening. Around 2:30 a.m., she decided to return to her home 600 meters away. It was a little over an hour later that her body was discovered, charred, not far from her home, rue du Docteur-Bergonié, marked by the presence of a pack of cigarettes, traces of blood and essence. Very quickly, a scenario is established: Maud was doused with gasoline before being burned alive. As in Dominik Moll’s film, the crime was committed in a particularly quiet neighborhood. Here, there is no video surveillance or telephone information to help investigators. In the entourage of the victim, a young girl appreciated and very successful, several avenues were studied without ever coming to fruition. Former flirts, rejected or threatening men were notably apprehended, but no individual was confused. Today, the investigation was transferred to the cold case center in Nanterre.
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The victim’s parents contacted the director of The night of the 12th
In the columns of Parisian, Dominik Moll returned to the choice of taking inspiration from this news item. A choice that confused him for a time, before the victim’s family contacted him: “When I received the César for best film, it seemed important to me to remember that behind The Night of the 12th there was a real crime and the victim’s name was Maud. Afterwards, a lot of newspapers brought the story out and, honestly, it pissed me off. I then wondered if I had done the right thing in talking about Maud, if I had not gone too far. I thought of his parents. Had I added suffering to their suffering? And then, about a fortnight ago, they called me. They thanked me for the film, for talking to the Césars about their daughter. It had touched them. This reassured me. That phone call was very strong.”
