AFFFF25: The Thread

Australian Premiere

One of France’s most beloved and awarded actors, the remarkable Daniel Auteuil is also an accomplished writer and director (The Well-Digger’s Daughter), and this engrossing new legal thriller finds him once again in outstanding form.

Auteuil stars as Jean Monier, a well-past his prime defence lawyer who – ever since discovering he was responsible for a killer being exonerated – prefers to work as a prosecutor. But one evening he agrees to help his over-committed wife and fellow counsel Annie (Sidse Babett Knudsen, Borgen) by meeting with Nicolas Milik (Grégory Gadebois, Delicious, AF FFF21), a shell-shocked father of five who has just been arrested for the murder of his troubled wife. Milik’s predicament inexplicably touches Jean; the more he pieces together the case, the more he becomes convinced of Milik’s innocence. Soon Jean rediscovers his passion for his vocation and becomes obsessed with exposing the real killer.

Characterised by typically first-rate performances from its stellar cast, this pulled-from-the-headlines drama – based on true events and adapted from the memoirs of lawyer-turned-bestselling author Jean-Yves Moyart –- is a gripping exploration of guilt, conceit and the slippery nature of justice. Packing a genuine punch, The Thread’s conclusion lingers long after the credits have rolled.