The Lost Boys of Mercury review – A heartbreaking film about the lasting wounds of church and school abuse | film

gPhysical and moral courage is demonstrated by the three main interviewees in this heartbreaking French documentary. André, Michel and Daniel are former wards of the church-run Belle Etoile reform school in the Savoy town of Mercury, and now in their 60s and 70s, they recount a barrage of abuse at the hands of Abbot Garin and his followers: beatings that left permanent damage, sleep deprivation, cold water baths, starvation and nightly molestation.

As director Clemens Davego sits through their long reminiscing sessions, the damage is clear. Michel cries at the memory of his humiliation: deprived of an education, Andre became a career criminal, spending decades in prison; Sexually assaulted and trapped in “hell,” the awakening Daniel speaks of how he later became emotionally paralyzed, unable to tell anyone he loved him. Michel and Daniel, chefs and indefatigable runners, have discovered displacement activities, a means by which they can empty their heads of terror.

But the trio also talks about unloading in a different sense: getting rid of that burden and seeking redress. In the second half of the film, Davego’s attention turns to whether this is possible, and in what way. André and Michel disagree over whether the Catholic Church as an institution is guilty, or only, as the latter believes, the individuals identified in Belle Etoile. The two diocesan counselors who met with them indicate that the Church, in its willingness to acknowledge the mistakes committed, expresses its regret. But when they finally met with Archbishop Philippe Ballot, he seemed slow to commit to concrete action.

Davego keeps a steady, observing hand at the directorial helm, and her quiet breaks allow the metaphors to emerge naturally. For example, Daniel slowly climbs a nearby mountain, while a dragonfly sheds his old skin. The film is not a systematic investigation into institutional abuses, cover-ups and the feasibility of reform, which are certainly pertinent questions in France after the likes of the Abbe Pierre scandal. Rather, it is intimately involved in the healing process by giving these men the platform to speak their truths – and it is no less valuable.