With a trial on the affair of the Libyan financing of Nicolas Sarkozy’s presidential campaign in 2007 currently being held at the Paris court – it began Monday January 6 and is due to last four months – the documentary Nobody understands anything comes at the right time to shed light on a complex and sulphurous political-financial saga.
With a title like “No one understands anything”, director Yannick Kergoat sets the tone: this documentary, co-produced by Mediapart, intends to shed light on the matter of Libyan financing of Nicolas Sarkozy’s campaign in 2007.
Spoiler: at the end, we understand (a little) better, but above all, we remain stunned by the confidence of the former president who proclaims injustice from his media platforms. A balancing act between the cynicism of the accused and the stubbornness of the investigators.
As surprising as it may seem, this film will not be distributed in large complexes like UGC or MK2. Only arthouses agreed to program it. The subject of the film seems to frighten traditional circuits.
The film unfolds a political-financial thriller that would make the most twisted screenwriters blush. At the center of the intrigue, an explosive trio: Sarkozy, Gaddafi, and the Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine, alias “the carrier pigeon of the suitcases”.
Add to this colorful accomplices – Thierry Herzog, Claude Guéant and others – and a team of Mediapart journalists in “scoop pitbull” mode. This makes for an explosive cocktail where millions of euros flow freely… but not really into the ballot boxes.
The decor? An empty apartment where the witnesses tell their story. No frills, just loud words and piling up evidence. The minimalist staging focuses on the relentless mechanics of the investigation, supported by television archives which take on a very different flavor in the light of the revelations. When we see Sarkozy rolling out the red carpet for Gaddafi in 2007, it stings even more.
-Kergoat calls on two investigative heavyweights, Mediapart journalists Fabrice Arfi and Karl Laske, to tell the story. Their dry, precise and slightly sarcastic tone gives the whole thing a captivating dynamic. We feel that they have seen some “alleged corruption pacts” happen.
And to spice things up, the voice-over of actress Florence Loiret Caille adds a dramatic touch reminiscent of French political thrillers. It’s as if The Bureau of Legends was invited into Les Guignols de l’info.
The title obviously plays on irony: Sarkozy himself said that “no one understands anything”, but this documentary proves the opposite. The pieces of the puzzle are carefully aligned, and the viewer follows with a mixture of fascination and indignation this saga which combines bribes, kickbacks and surreal phone calls.
What makes the film powerful is that it does not fall into moralizing. We show you the facts, raw, often chilling, and it’s up to you to judge. No one understands anything… except those who take the time to see this film.
