El caso Oussekine

As Episode 1 of "Oussekine" (2022 release from France; 4 episodes of about 60 min each) opens, it is :December 5, 1986" and we are introduced to Malik Oussekine, a French college kid of Algerian descent. He is excited to have tickets for the Nina Simone concert. After the show while walking to the metro station, he inadvertently gets mixed up in a street demonstration, and before we know it, the French national police chases Malik down an alley where they club him to death... At this point we are 10 min into Episode 1.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from French writer-director Antoine Chevrillier ("Baron Noir"). Here he reassesses the events that led to an unarmed 22 yr. Man of Algerian descent being beaten to death by French police in riot gear. More importantly, the series looks at the long shadows of these events. Along the way we get flashbacks how Malik's parents ended up in France in the early 60s, dealing with being "second class" citizens and all it entails. This mini-series is sure to make the hairs stand on your arms, and not only because of the incomprehensible ways of the French justice system. What really is striking how familiar all of this will sound to an American audience, all you have to do is to change "Algerian descent" to "African-American" and there you go. It's been 35+ years since these events played out in France, and the obvious question is whether anything has changed. Let me put it this way: the extreme right French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, whose anti-immigration and outright racist policies are at the core of her political party National Front, managed to get 43% of the vote in last month's presidential election (up from 33% in the 2017 presidential election, and up from 17% in the 2012 presidential election). If this trend continues (and I don't know why it wouldn't), France will have it own version of Trump as its president in 2027. And has gotten police brutality and racism any better?

"Oussekine" premiered on Hulu a few weeks ago and I would have missed it, except that Hulu "suggested" it to me based on my viewing habits. I watched all 4 episodes over 2 nights earlier this week. If you are in the mood for a heavy duty min-series that brings a damning look at French police brutality and racism surrounding a senseless death in 1986, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion.

Right from the start, one sympathises with Malik Oussekine. His huge ambition was to see Nina Simone; when I was in Algiers in the country of Malik's forebears in 1969 I made it my business to see her perform there as part of the Pan-African Festival of Art and Culture. So there was an affinity right from the start. But even had we not had this in common, the tragic events leading up to his death by police beating would have engendered empathy, shock and pity. I had as much sympathy for his family and their utter dignity which made a sharp contrast with the venal and disgraceful behaviours of the cops, ministers and defence barristers.

The cast was strong. Wonderful Hiam Abbas as Malik's mother played her role to perfection as she dies in all of the films she graces. Laurent Stocker took on another legal role after his performance in "A French Affair" but this time his character was forceful and not vacillating.

The political machinations shocked me, but I guess they were no different from those in any Western European country faced with a national scandal.

I presume that the family collaborated on the making of the film as the real brothers and sisters of Malik are shown at the end. Therefore intimate scenes are likely not to have been invented but true, which is an advantage. The family suffered so much to get a diluted and atfenuated form of justice in the end.

I watched the four episodes in one day. Horribly depressing but essential viewing.

The story is interesting, reminded me a lot of memories, and deserves to be told. But as a French who hates the French acting (very unnatural and theatrical), it's a no.