Tough Being Loved By Jerks

Daniel Leconte's IT'S HARD BEING LOVED BY JERKS recounts one of France's most incendiary trials of the early 21st century. When Philippe Val, editor of the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, published 12 controversial Danish cartoons, he had no idea that his actions would spark a fiery national debate. The resulting court case, brought by three influential organizations--the Great Mosque of Paris, the World Muslim League, and the Union of Islamic Organizations of France--created a hugely important freedom-of-speech battle. To the editors of Charlie Hebdo and other French newspapers, these cartoons weren't saying that all Muslims were terrorists, but to the prosecution they were insensitive to the point of being law-breaking and criminal. Fortunately, Leconte was there from the very beginning to document the initial publishing of the controversial cartoons and the subsequent furor, culminating in an emotional two-day trial in which French luminaries showed their support for the defendants. While Leconte wasn't allowed to bring his camera into the courtroom, he did manage to track down many of the trial's main players to get the story from the inside out. Filled with a pulse-pounding score by Cyril de Turckeim, IT'S HARD BEING LOVED BY JERKS is an invigorating documentary that has the thrust of a dramatic thriller.