‘The Witnesses’ Bear the AIDS Burden of a Time Less Remembered

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CHICAGO – While Paris, France in 1984 probably wasn’t as romantic as the Paris in several of its other lionized eras, it existed just the same. As portrayed in “The Witnesses,” it was an age that may have been more uncertain than the others based on a melting pot of inhabitants who immigrated to the City of Lights in search for a new life.

But it was also an age where the co-mingling of that particular generation produced some unintended consequences. The story of who survived and who didn’t defined our nature for several years to come.

Read Patrick McDonald’s full review of “The Witnesses” in our reviews section. View our full, high-resolution “The Witnesses” image gallery.

Portrayed by Emmanuelle Béart, Sarah is a writer of children’s books who has just had her first child. She is married to a police officer, Mehdi (Sami Bouajila), and has several loyal friends. One of her best friends is a gay, middle-aged doctor named Adrien (Michel Blanc).

He’s thrilled to introduce her to his new young lover: Manu (Johan Libéreau). Manu is a player, however, and sets his sights on Mehdi. The two begin a secret affair that evolves into obsessive love. Manu escapes Paris because of the complications that arise.

In the meantime, Adrien can’t get over his feelings for Manu. He pursues him through his job at a holiday camp and discovers that the boy has become strangely ill. It’s a strain of skin cancer that’s rare but shows up with more frequency in the Paris clinics where Adrien works.

Johan Libéreau in “The Witnesses”. Photo credit: Strand Releasing

Sami Bouajila (left), Emmanuelle Beart (second to left), Johan Libéreau (second to right) and Michel Blanc (right) in “The Witnesses”. Photo credit: Strand Releasing

Read Patrick McDonald’s full “The Witnesses” review.