Au Delà de la Haine (French Documentary) [Beyond Hatred]

This documentary reminded me so much of the whole Matthew Shepard story in the US. Somehow I wasn't familiar with this story that happened in France in 2002. Three French skinheads happened upon Francois Chenu, a 29-year-old gay man and beat him viciously to death. With no explaining voiceover, this French documentary plunges us into the grief of Francois' father, mother, and sister "730 days after the murder." They are still having a hard time coming to terms with the loss of Francois and the violent and senseless way in which he died.

The documentary arrives at essential truths about suffering and loss through abstract means. At a coffee shop, François’s sister relives the day she told her parents about her brother’s death. But the mother corrects her, probably with a hint of bitterness that suggests resentment for not having learned of her son’s death first or, more likely, an attempt to compensate for the fact that she will never know the full extent of what her son suffered during the last five minutes of his life. Once we witness the family's pain, the focus moves to the legal proceedings and the three day trial. The perpetrators were sentenced to 20 and 15 years respectively after recounting of what really happened that night. But the overarching theme is when 6 months after the trial, Francois' parents send an open letter to the youths who murdered their son in which they advise them to move beyond hatred. The camera eavesdrops on discussions between the attorneys, social workers and, most importantly, documents the Chenu family's sorrow and their noble, yet frustrated, attempts to understand how the killers' racist and xenophobic upbringings could result in such pointless, and hate-fueled, violence.

I feel the overarching theme of this documentary was more around tolerance and forgiving rather than sensationalizing. The open letter at the end is a healing act which contains a genuine sense of forgiveness and reconciliation. In a world where hatred and revenge are tolerated, this documentary shows that there is another path that can be taken, one that cherishes and reverences human life no matter what. This documentary is highly recommended for its positive modeling of the spiritual practice of forgiveness. The equanimity with which Francois' family handle the trial and its aftermath offers a heroic example. And thankfully the documentary director also stays away from any kind of sensationalism, which in my opinion is the biggest win of this documentary. The subject needs respect and a dignified approach and the documentary does exactly that putting the case into a wider socio-cultural context. camera eavesdrops on discussions between the attorneys, social workers and, most importantly, documents the Chenu family's sorrow and their noble, yet frustrated, attempts to understand how the killers' racist and xenophobic upbringings could result in such pointless, and hate-fueled, violence. (6/10)