The film Borgo by Stéphane Demoustier, which traces the journey of a prison guard who plunges into organized crime, is released in theaters in a particular climate…
The film “Borgo”, whose theatrical release date has been set for April 17, 2024, is already causing great controversy. Drawn from real events, it delves into the fictional story of Melissa, 32, an experienced prison guard who settles in Corsica with her two young children and her husband.
The synopsis. Assigned to a prison located in Borgo, south of Bastia, in Corsica, a place where the interaction and interdependence between guards and inmates are very strong, Melissa will forge links with influential thugs, until that a pernicious mechanism begins.
The story, directed by director Stéphane Demoustier (Terre battee, Allons enfants, La Fille au bracelet), is inspired by the journey of Cathy Sénéchal, former supervisor of Borgo prison herself. Fascinated by the world of banditry, she is today accused of being involved in a double assassination at Bastia-Poretta airport at the end of 2017. According to the prosecution, her gesture – a kiss – would have allowed the assassins to identify the two victims.
A trial in the summer of 2024
The context of this film is all the more sensitive as the trial concerning the double assassination, which occurred on December 5, 2017, is scheduled from May 6 to July 6, 2024. The victims, Antoine Quilichini and Jean-Luc Codaccioni, were well known to the circles of banditry and their execution in broad daylight raises the question of the premeditation of the assassins, informed of their return to Corsica after a leave.
The controversy surrounding “Borgo” is not limited to its content. Lawyers involved in the trial criticize the film for its premature release, fearing an influence on the upcoming judgment. “They didn’t even wait for the trial to be over,” laments a lawyer, emphasizing the inappropriateness of broadcasting such a charged work while the jurors and magistrates are about to look into the case.
In a statement to Corse Matin Me Julien Pinelli, lawyer for Christophe Andreani, underlines the need to preserve the integrity of the criminal file: “It seems necessary to me to preserve, as much as possible, the content of a criminal file pending of its judgment. Its dissemination through the press is sometimes justified by freedom of information, but this principle does not apply to a cinematographic work, which by definition is free from any neutrality. the influence that this film could have on the jurors and magistrates who will in the near future have the duty to judge our clients.”
Faced with these criticisms, Stéphane Demoustier defends his work as pure fiction, although based on real events. He insists on the non-investigative nature of his film: “I am not indifferent to the reactions generated by this film which can generate painful things. But it is above all a fiction. The characters are fictitious and I did not realize investigation. The film was born on the basis of press articles which deal with this prison guard. How can a person like that find himself in a story of settling scores when nothing predestined him there? is here to ask this question. He does not embrace the point of view of the thugs and is not hagiographic towards the prison guard.
The tension around the film’s release was also palpable during its preview screening at the Bastia theater a few days ago, delayed by a false bomb threat.