“Me, I’m not violent, I’m a good person. » The first words of Fight their violence, broadcast this Wednesday at 10:45 p.m. on France 2, can tense up. The documentary follows a support group reserved for men convicted of domestic violence. This introductory sentence is taken from these discussion sessions.
“Whether society is ready or not, it seemed necessary to us to take a long-term interest in these men: Who are they? In what denial are they? What are the blockages and the trajectories that lead them to so much violence?, explains to 20 minutes Mélissa Theuriau, the producer of the report. It is important to give answers to better protect children and companions. »
This note of intent raises other questions: How to film these individuals? How to welcome their testimonies? What place can, or not, hold compassion for them?
“Acts have been committed, we are here to talk about it”
Important clarification: there is no doubt about the facts that have occurred. All the men who participate in this support group in Cergy (Val-d’Oise) have been found guilty by the courts. “From the moment there is condemnation, we can look into the problem of violence, whether they deny it, whether they are changing or not. There were acts that were committed, we are here to talk about it, ”underlines the producer.
The recidivism prevention program mentioned in the report was launched in 2008. It takes place twice a year with, each time, a dozen different individuals. “There are selection interviews. I attended, says director Florie Martin. I was there from the start, my presence was recorded. »
The Prison Service for Integration and Probation (Spip) of Val-d’Oise was initially reluctant to give the green light to journalists. The previous productions of 416 Prod, some of which gave voice to the victims of violence, ended up convincing the administration that the objective was not “sensationalist”.
“We had to be forgotten”
“Florie has carried out complex, long-term work,” says Mélissa Theuriau. She moved around a lot without a camera. She found the most suitable and discreet device so that our film does not modify reality: there are no cameras pointed at these men, they don’t carry microphones on them… We had to be forgotten. We also wanted them to be anonymized. They could have this freedom to speak because they weren’t recognized. »
“The setting was very important, we couldn’t get out of it, confirms Florie Martin. We deliberately chose not to follow these men at home, in their daily lives, not to make friends with them. I spoke to them as part of the group, all at the same time. There was no compassion, nor that form of attachment to the characters that can be at work in other reports. »
However, it is not a media trial that awaits the protagonists. Fight their violence strives to follow the angle of its title. “Seeing these men evolve is a source not of joy but of hope,” says Mélissa Theuriau. We say to ourselves “There, things are moving, it’s reassuring.” it may seem minimal, but when the seed of a beginning of awareness germinates, while some start from absolute denials, it is already an important step for the future. »
“Some try to position themselves as victims”
The report also presents the work of the probation and integration counselors who facilitate these discussion sessions. “We try to show that, to collect this word and provide care, you have to be trained, underlines Mélissa Theuriau. There are smooth talkers, who master rhetoric and know how to position themselves as victims. The clinical psychologist Linda Tromeleue and her advisers are remarkable: there is listening and, at the same time, they are sufficiently experienced not to accept all these words and to be able to counter them. »
Director and producer do not rule out following up on this report to see, in a few years, what these men have become. In Belgium, where programs of this type have been running for thirty years, the recidivism rate has fallen from 38% to 18%.