PFor its first original French creation, the streaming platform Max, a subsidiary of Warner Bros Discovery, wanted to hit hard. It’s done with the mini-series A devoted friendavailable from Friday October 11, which looks back on post-November 13 events a little less than a year from the anniversary of the 2015 attacks.
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A delicate subject, already explored in cinema in November (on anti-terrorism) and See Paris again (on the trauma of a victim), or on television in The Spies of Terror (on the hunt for the masterminds of the operation, already on M6+ and soon on M6), but which finds in this new version a remarkable reflection on the making of lies, the feeling of solitude and the strength of the collective.
This psychological thriller is loosely adapted from The Mythomaniac of the Bataclan (published by La Goutte d’or), the book investigating journalist Alexandre Kauffmann on Florence Monjault, aka Flo Kitty, a repeat scammer, member of the Life for Paris association, who posed as a victim of the attacks for more than two years. And who was sentenced in 2018 to four and a half years in prison for fraud.
It’s Just Philippot, a director from genre cinema (Acid, The Cloud) who was chosen to tell the story in four episodes of this Devoted friendplayed by the much more popular Laure Calamy, (10 percent, Antoinette in the Cévennes).
The portrait of a woman in search of belonging
Dedicated. Apparently nothing could better define Christelle Blandin, who, from the evening of the attacks, acted as a confidante for all the survivors of the Bataclan. Single and unemployed, this forty-year-old lives with her mother, in her teenage bedroom covered with posters of the glam rock groups that she idolizes and follows assiduously. Among them, the Eagles of Death Metal, whose concerts she attended in Paris. Except that of November 13, 2015…
However, sincerely upset, she contacted the victims via social networks, inventing herself a friend in a coma after the massacre. Very empathetic, Chris tirelessly listens to these broken men and women, supports them, comforts them, encourages them. Tireless, she finds the words to soothe suffering and recreate connections.
ALSO READ The weapons of Warner Bros. Max platform to dethrone Netflix and Disney+ Little by little, she makes herself indispensable, to the point of participating in the creation of the Stand up Paris association and becoming one of its pillars, under the horrified eyes of her mother (Anne Benoît) who can no longer stand her lies: “They don’t care about the truth. What they want is to be helped, Chris justifies herself when she finds herself thrown out. They need me. I’m useful. »And it is undoubtedly the first time for this woman, whose deep need to love and be loved has until then remained unsatisfied.
Car A devoted friend is first of all the portrait of a woman desperately alone, on the fringes of a society in which she struggles to exist.
By lending an attentive ear to the Bataclan victims, Chris finds a purpose in his life, a place in the community, recognition. And thus fills his need to belong, and his emotional lack. Stand up Paris is also her lifeline and she is ready to do anything to stay there. Even if it means threatening or blackmailing those who begin to doubt.
The lie factory
“You are a monster,” the companion of one of her new friends accuses her, who unmasked her despite her incredible virtuosity in manipulating the truth to build her legend and preserve her secret. This is also where the second tour de force of the mini-series lies: dissecting the construction of the lie, while returning to the sources of the mythomania revealed in the last episode.
Throughout his journey, Chris multiplies cleverly elaborate deceptions and appropriates the testimonies of survivors to feed his false identity. And even to seize the opportunity to take advantage of the victim compensation fund, thus beginning its downfall. However, this is not just opportunism. Chris needs this money for housing and to continue to act for the good of the survivor community.
Ironically, she has no equal in uncovering the deceptions of her peers, who try to deceive the system, and in pushing them towards the exit: “Trust is our only capital. We must be exemplary,” she advocates with confidence during a meeting.
Ultimately, it’s only when she talks about her passion for music that Chris is truly sincere. And it is thanks to music that she finds a form of redemption by organizing the association’s first concert. A way for all its members to reclaim their lives, relying on the collective.
An oppressive psychological thriller
Does the end justify the means? Is lying acceptable when it is told for the benefit of others? These are the questions posed by this ambitious mini-series, supported by an impeccable cast. We will notably mention Arieh Worthalter (César winner for her role in The Goldman Trial) who portrays Léon, the president of Stand up Paris, and of course, the masterful Laure Calamy, in almost every way.
Filmed as closely as possible by Just Philippot’s camera, the actress reveals herself to be both vulnerable and disturbing in the skin of this heroine with a troubled psyche, provoking in the viewer as much compassion as unease.
Paradoxically, the sobriety of the staging accentuates the oppressive atmosphere which surrounds his trajectory until his inevitable decline. Even if the outcome is known from the start, the tension continues to rise as the noose tightens around it. It’s stifling and trying. But it’s also upsetting.
