Terror’s Advocate

A smart and sophisticated documentary portrait by filmmaker Barbet Schroeder of the dramatic and controversial life of French attorney Jacques Verges, defender of everyone from Klaus Barbie to Carlos the Jackal.

Schroeder may be better known for his rich resume of narrative features which includes the acclaimed OUR LADY OF THE ASSASSINS, REVERSAL OF FORTUNE, BARFLY and MAITRESS, but he has long maintained an interest in the documentary form. His revered nonfiction films GENERAL IDI AMIN DADA and THE CHARLES BUKOWSKI TAPES show that his core interest in moral ambiguity extends beyond the fictional realm. The subject of his newest film is the enigmatic Jacques Vergès, a French lawyer who has defended people whom some would consider terrorists and others freedom fighters. For more than a half-century, he has known or litigated on behalf of some of the most infamous figures of the post World War II era, including Pol Pot, Slobodan Milosevic, Saddam Hussein, Carlos the Jackal, Magdalena Kopp, Roger Garaudy, Klaus Barbie, to name a few.

Born in Vietnam to a mother from Vietnam and a father from Reunion Island, Vergès came of age as a multi-racial in a colonial setting. Is that the key to his character and his great sense of empathy for the world's "accused?" Or is it his self-professed fascination with evil? For all his charm and urbanity, Vergès represents a doorway to some very dark places, indeed. From the lawyer's inflammatory and provocative cases to his controversial terrorist links, Schroeder follows the winding trail left by this 'terror's advocate.' An Official Selection Un Certain Regard at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, the film recently screened at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals.

“Astonishing...one of the most engaging, morally unsettling political thrillers in quite some time, with the extra advantage of being true.” (A.O. Scott, New York Times)