Dominik Moll’s crime thriller, Dossier 137
, serves up an intense inspection of malignant police insтιтutionalism. Like in many of his previous works, the director has a knack for exploring sociopolitical concepts on the spectrum of morality. Here, he does so effectively through the lens of an Internal Affairs worker in 2018 Paris, during the height of the Yellow Vests protests. Against all odds, the film’s commentary on policy brutality never panders. Rather, Dossier 137 delivers the pieces necessary to remind us that bad apples are merely born from their rotten systemic tree.
The story follows Stéphanie (Léa Drucker), an Internal Affairs investigator, as she navigates the complicated side of questioning her colleagues about their policing methods while on duty. Even from the opening sequence, we see her struggle with a case that should be open and shut. A policeman picks up a stone and launches it into a crowd of protestors. With over a decade of experience and no priors, it’s easy to see that it may have been a bad heat-of-the-moment response. Since no one got hurt, he received a warning, and Stéphanie’s job was done.
Case 137 won’t be as straightforward. During a protest against poor wages and increased taxes, a young man, Guillaume Girard (Côme Péronnet) is seriously injured after being sH๏τ with an LBD gun. To make matters worse, identifying the perpetrators and finding justice seems impossible with so little evidence and witnesses. Now, with the criticism from her peers, including her ex-husband/cop Jérémy (Stanislas Merhar), Stéphanie must keep her head on straight to balance the pressures of being disloyal and pursuing justice.
Dossier 137 Forces Us To Question Our Role In Protecting Justice & Morality
Dossier 137 is straightforward with its messaging in a way that rattled the 2025 Cannes audience. This is partly due to Moll’s willingness to say what’s on everyone’s mind through his script: one bad apple spoils the bunch. With Stephanie, there’s a blurred line when it comes to brutality and what is classified as necessary. That’s mostly because she’s been a cop herself and can easily put herself in their shoes. Yet, Moll gives her every opportunity to embrace doing the right thing by fighting against corruption, even if that means going against the system itself.
The idea of an evolving (for better or worse) moral compᴀss is not a new concept in film, especially when it comes to exploring police brutality. But something about Dominik Moll’s feature feels familiar and fresh as we watch the investigation unravel while simultaneously bearing witness to Stéphanie’s growth. Of course, she does her job very well, but “what use is her job” if she cannot bring about change to a system built to protect their own from consequences?
Dossier 137 delivers the pieces necessary to remind us that bad apples are merely born from their rotten systematic tree.
The film takes another turn for the better when it focuses on the details of the investigation. Often, that requires Drucker’s Stéphanie walking us through various possibilities while exploring footage to interrogate her interviewees. Although heavy with dialogue and exposition in these moments, it works. And the end result leads to an intense experience where you can’t wait to see what happens next.
Léa Drucker Gives A Flawless Performance As She Battles The Intricacies Of Justice
What makes Dossier 137 a fascinating watch is being able to observe a singular character battle all the complexities of morality when it comes to justice, truth, and conflict of interest. Moll doesn’t write Stéphanie with the intent of letting her take the easy way out, which creates some exceptional character study moments. Unsurprisingly, Léa Drucker was up to the task and excelled performance-wise. Balancing the nuances of such a character journey is not a simple task, yet she does it flawlessly, as we’re forced to look on towards the rampant corruption.
Moll’s crime thriller can, indeed, be a frustrating watch. At some point, it will make you question: in the pursuit of justice, does truth ultimately prevail or matter? It’s a disappointing realization, but it’s one of the strengths of this feature. Moll not only holds up a mirror to Paris 2018, but the messaging in this film heavily resonates with what has been going on in the USA. How far does corruption go? How far can and will it go? The answers to these questions may be ones we aren’t ready to discuss. But at least we have filmmakers like Moll who are ready and willing to spark conversations.
Dossier 137 premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.
