In this series produced by Canal+—which the Jean-Jaurès Foundation explores in an insightful report—filmmaker Eric Benzekri unflinchingly plunges us into the dark passions of rejecting others and retreating into identity-based isolation. The series steers clear of any naivety by bluntly exposing the contemporary pitfalls of individualization. We even discover, toward the end of the series, that “citizens” can lose their cool even when they are engaged in a well-conducted, adversarial debate and their opinions are gauged by a panel representative of society in all its diversity. This segment, which the series refers to as “the other assembly,” is a thinly veiled critique of citizens’ assemblies. Even when accompanied and guided by experts in democracy, public debate is not immune to a form of self-centered citizenship saturated with trauma, emotional wounds, and narcissistic fractures. Mistrust of institutions is expressed unreservedly in public forums, and in the statements made, invective and excesses easily take precedence over nuance and compromise.
The series thus suggests that in times of crisis, the sovereign and redemptive “voice of the people” can lead to promises that endanger society’s democratic foundations. The closed logic of emotional identity-based spaces polarizes fears. This brings to mind the work of Gilles Favarel-Garrigues and Laurent Gayer on the rise, worldwide, of “vigilantism”—that tendency of individuals to form local defense and intervention groups outside of institutional frameworks (Fiers de punir, 2021, Le Seuil). We are also reminded of the endless procession of rebellious crowds, collective fury, pogroms, and other manhunts that have always shown that the saying “alone we go faster, but together we go further” applies to horror as well. The series clearly demonstrates how, when social life deteriorates into chaos, point-by-point arguments become utterly ineffective. On this point, geographer Martin Vanier argues that contemporary discourses on social division, on both the right and the left, reignite forms of rejection and mistrust that are both archaic and toxic.
The Group Discussion
However, the filmmaker does not merely portray sorrowful passions on screen. He also suggests an unexpected antidote. When society fragments and threatens to implode, when passions take precedence over convictions, it is first and foremost the art of conversation and bursts of enthusiasm that must be cultivated, at the grassroots level. To push back against excess, to defuse hatred, and to rediscover the joyful glimmers of a shared destiny, we must return to the trial-and-error process of collective dialogue. The democratic foundations of trust begin with words and gestures of brotherhood.
The series becomes a fable precisely when the atmosphere is saturated with darkness: like a defensive judo move, the club’s communications director and the coach draw on their vulnerabilities and their somewhat old-fashioned sense of humanity to become the concerned—yet joyful—catalysts of a collective resurgence. “Sam” and “the coach” conceive a somewhat crazy plan to transform the club into a cooperative so that players, fans, and club partners can all stand on equal footing. They also take a stand—with pride and humility—in an emerging controversy over gun control.
In this unlikely twist, the charisma of the two protagonists works on two intertwined levels: on the one hand, their integrity in the face of adversity, and on the other, their somewhat naive enthusiasm for trying to get everyone to work together. They challenge preconceived notions, going with their gut, with great enthusiasm and a great deal of emotional intelligence. Like Monsieur Jourdain, they’re involved in politics without even knowing it…
The Inner Struggles of Elected Officials
As I revisit this series through the lens of my research on the passions of local elected officials, I find that the emotional motivations of the series’ two antiheroes mirror exactly those revealed in interviews with the politicians I questioned about the origins of their passion for politics. During these confidential, one-on-one interviews, the elected officials I met spoke with great sensitivity about the vulnerabilities and emotions associated with their entry into politics. As their stories of these inner struggles unfold, it becomes clear that, more than the thrill of victory, it is the human frailty of their doubts, their misunderstandings, and their enthusiasm that has shaped the strength of their commitment to public service.
The depth of their psychological vulnerabilities at the outset of their political careers is worth emphasizing: the pleasure these elected officials derive from their commitment stems from their inner turmoil over the violence and injustices in the world they have witnessed since childhood. Here, personal experience serves as the catalyst for political engagement. And my research shows that it is also during their first electoral campaigns that these committed citizens are literally swept up by the joy and unforgettable exhilaration of working together.
This mix of pain and euphoria is the same for both of our heroes. Sam dreams of the bonds that foster harmony and tolerance. The coach envisions the reconciliations that take shape around a soccer ball. As with those chosen for a higher calling, their vulnerabilities and hopes combine to shape their purpose and inspire them with the ambition to set the world right.
The Democracy of Sensory Mediations
In this series, Éric Benzekri earnestly plays the role of the filmmaker who sounds the alarm and believes in holding individuals accountable. We must consider both sides of his prophecy.
On the one hand, the “democracy of opinion” becomes dangerous when it encourages the expression of anger and suffering without mediation or deliberation. Opinion that is manufactured and spread virally, combined with a society of frustrations that turns it into an endless market, produces a highly explosive mixture. The combination of individualism and digital connectivity also comes into full play, breaking down all filters by claiming, under the guise of freedom, the right to hate without limits.
On the other hand, the democracy of sensory mediations suggests that citizens can draw on their vulnerabilities and their enthusiasm to become the political actors who build a better world. These joyful glimmers of collective action may seem a bit frivolous or trivial to us, but they are nonetheless fundamentally humanistic and universal.
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