Movies - Case 137 : A Thriller That Becomes a Reflection on Society for a New Generation

By Mulder, Paris, Le Grand Rex, 01 april 2026

On April 1, 2026, the Grand Rex in Paris hosted a screening of the film Case 137, directed by Dominik Moll, as part of the 2026 César des Lycéens, an event that perfectly illustrates how cinema can still forge a connection between films and a young audience seeking stories rooted in reality. That same day, thanks to the support of BNP Paribas, the film Case 137, winner of the 2026 César des Lycéens, was presented at a special public screening attended by the film’s crew, thereby reinforcing the strong institutional and cultural support behind this initiative. Organized by the César Academy and the Ministry of National Education, this free screening brought together 2,500 attendees (primarily students, high schoolers, and young people invited by the Ministry and BNP Paribas) as part of a broader commitment to ensuring access to arts and cultural education for younger generations. The involvement of the National Center for Cinema and the Moving Image, the National Federation of French Cinemas, and Entraide du cinéma et des spectacles further underscores the collective effort to increase opportunities for the public to meet César winners, echoing initiatives such as “A César at School,” which invites winners to reconnect with students in educational settings. This screening drew a large audience to one of Europe’s largest theaters for a film selected by 2,517 high school students from 115 classes following several weeks of discussions and debates, confirming the interest generated by this work far beyond traditional critical circles and highlighting the film’s ability to spark collective reflection on deeply contemporary issues.

Before the screening, the audience attended a presentation featuring director and co-screenwriter Dominik Moll, actress Léa Drucker, screenwriter Gilles Marchand, producer Barbara Letellier, director of photography Patrick Ghiringhelli, editor Laurent Rouan, sound editor Rym Debbarh-Mounir, and assistant director Thierry Verrier, all of whom had come to present the film and share their impressions of its creation. The atmosphere was both friendly and attentive, with the audience’s enthusiasm already palpable. After the screening, only Dominik Moll, Gilles Marchand, and Laurent Rouan returned to the stage for an in-depth discussion with the audience, a particularly rich moment where the questions allowed for an exploration of the film’s themes, particularly regarding institutions, responsibility, and perspectives on contemporary violence, revealing a committed and lucid reception from a generation directly affected by these issues.

Released in France on November 19, 2025, and distributed by Haut et Court, Case 137 continues the work of Dominik Moll and Gilles Marchand, a duo known for their ability to combine narrative tension with precise social observation, as they follow the journey of Stéphanie Bertrand, an IGPN investigator played by Léa Drucker, who is confronted with a seemingly mundane case involving the use of a rubber bullet during a protest, but which gradually takes on a more personal and unsettling dimension. The film also features Jonathan Turnbull, Mathilde Roehrich, Guslagie Malanda, Stanislas Merhar, Sandra Colombo, Valentin Campagne, Mathilde Riu, Côme Péronnet, Solàn Machado-Graner, Théo Costa-Marini, Théo Navarro-Mussy, and Florence Viala, in a cast that fully contributes to the sense of realism and authenticity that permeates the entire film.

Presented in the official competition at the Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 2025, Case 137 quickly attracted attention, particularly following a highly publicized decision by General Delegate Thierry Frémaux regarding Théo Navarro-Mussy’s presence on the red carpet, a situation unrelated to the film but which helped amplify its visibility from its world premiere onward. Subsequently, the film continued its journey through several international festivals, notably in Sarajevo, before being acquired for North America by Film Movement, thus confirming its reach beyond French borders and its place within the dynamic of internationally oriented auteur cinema.

Shot between October and December 2024 in Paris, Saint-Ouen, Saint-Dizier, and Vitry-le-François, the film asserts a strong territorial grounding, with each setting contributing to an immersion in a tangible social environment, reinforcing a deliberately minimalist style driven by Patrick Ghiringhelli’s cinematography, Laurent Rouan’s precise editing, and Olivier Marguerit’s subtle score, which together help create a progressive and sustained tension. This approach, sometimes deemed austere by certain critics, has nevertheless been widely praised for its rigor and authenticity, particularly thanks to Léa Drucker’s performance, which was unanimously recognized and honored with the César Award for Best Actress, while international critics such as Peter Bradshaw, Sophie Monks Kaufman, Tim Grierson, Stephanie Bunbury, and Guy Lodge have highlighted the film’s precision and the power of its portrayal.

With this screening at the Grand Rex, Case 137 marks a new milestone in its journey, reaching an audience whose enthusiastic and thoughtful reception confirms that the film transcends the simple framework of the thriller to establish itself as a work of reflection on our era, where institutional mechanisms and individual responsibilities clash in a gray area rarely explored with such finesse. This type of event reminds us that a film’s success is not measured solely by its box office results, but also by its ability to spark conversation, provoke debate, and guide viewers in their understanding of the contemporary world—a goal that Dominik Moll seems to have achieved with remarkable precision.

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Synopsis:
Case 137 appears to be just another case for Stéphanie, an investigator with the IGPN, the police watchdog. A tense demonstration, a young man injured by an LBD shot, circumstances that need to be clarified to establish responsibility. But an unexpected element will unsettle Stéphanie, for whom Case 137 becomes more than just a number.

Case 137
Directed by Dominik Moll
Written by Dominik Moll and Gilles Marchand
Produced by Carole Scotta, Caroline Benjo, Barbara Letellier, and Simon Arnal
Starring Léa Drucker, Jonathan Turnbull, Mathilde Roehrich, Guslagie Malanda, Stanislas Merhar, Sandra Colombo, Valentin Campagne, Mathilde Riu, Côme Péronnet, Solàn Machado-Graner, Théo Costa-Marini, Théo Navarro-Mussy, Florence Viala
Director of Photography: Patrick Ghiringhelli
Editing: Laurent Rouan
Music: Olivier Marguerit
Production companies: Haut et Court, France 2 Cinéma
Distribution: Haut et Court (France)
Release dates: May 15, 2025 (Cannes), November 19, 2025 (France)
Runtime: 115 minutes

Photos et vidéo 4K : Boris Colletier / Mulderville