Cédric Kahn revisits the controversial case of Pierre Goldman, a far-left Jewish activist who faced a life sentence for armed robbery and murder in 1969. In his 1975 appeal hearing, Goldman (Arieh Worthalter) pleads not guilty to murder, plunging his own trial into chaos, risking a death sentence, and unbalancing his relationship with his attorney, the young Georges Kiejman (Arthur Harari). With the action almost entirely confined to the courtroom, and presented in the square Academy ratio, The Goldman Case is a tense, claustrophobic film; the demonstrative verbal jousting of the defence and prosecution, Kahn’s precise direction and framing, and the outstandingly naturalistic performances combine to create an engrossing experience.

Notes by David O’Mahony