Omar m'a tuer (Roschdy Zem, 2011)

Based on the true and sadly ongoing saga of the persecution of Moroccan immigrant Omar Raddad by the French judicial system, Omar m'a tuer (literally, 'Omar to kill me', which is significant in the plot) is the second feature by the actor Roschdy Zem, perhaps best known for his role in the war drama Indigènes. Considering he also has Moroccan roots, the tyro director manages to contain his rage at the travesty of the story with admirable discipline. The accumulation of instances of evidence mislaid or bent, proper procedure disregarded and suppositions taken as fact by the authorities seeking to pin the murder of a wealthy white woman on her naive and illiterate Arab gardener beggars belief. The directorial approach to this is as cool-headed as outrage will allow, also extending to the understated performance of the accused, and if this results in some longeurs in the telling, it's a price worth paying when the actual priority is to try to effect change in the real world.

6/10