"Great courage, physical and moral, is shown by the three principal interviewees in this heartbreaking French documentary. Andre, Michel and Daniel are former wards of the church-run Belle Etoile correctional school in the Savoie town of Mercury and, now in their 60s and 70s, they recount a barrage of abuse at the hands of Abbot Garin and his lackeys: beatings that inflicted permanent damage, sleep deprivation, cold-water baths, starvation, nocturnal molestation."
"But the trio also talk of emptying in a different sense: to relieve themselves of this burden and seek restitution. Davigo's attention shifts in the film's second half to whether this is possible, and in what form. Andre and Michel disagree on whether the Catholic church as an institution is culpable or just, as the latter believes, the specific individuals at the Belle Etoile."
Three principal interviewees—Andre, Michel and Daniel—are former wards of the church-run Belle Etoile correctional school in Mercury who recount a barrage of abuse by Abbot Garin and his lackeys. The abuse included beatings that inflicted permanent damage, sleep deprivation, cold-water baths, starvation and nocturnal molestation. Long reminiscence sessions reveal lasting emotional and physical harm: one became a career criminal, another remains emotionally crippled and unable to express love. The men use work and exercise to displace traumatic memories while also seeking restitution. Opinions differ among the men about institutional culpability versus blame focused on specific individuals. Meetings with diocesan counsellors express remorse but the archbishop shows hesitation to commit to concrete actions.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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