An investigative thriller set in the world of nuclear power and politics, La Syndicaliste follows the true story of Maureen Kearney (Isabelle Huppert), the influential head union representative of a French multinational nuclear powerhouse. A deft navigator of elite political and financial circles, Maureen becomes a whistleblower when she discovers international backroom dealings, exposing secrets that shook the French nuclear sector. Fighting against government ministers and industry leaders, Maureen worked tirelessly to bring the scandal to light and defend thousands of jobs until she was violently sexually assaulted in her own home, seemingly targeted for her attempts to reveal the truth. As her attack is investigated, new elements create doubt in the minds of detectives and lawyers, and they begin to see Maureen not as a victim, but as a suspect. Surrounded by powerful enemies and unable to trust anyone, Maureen must fight to clear her name.

For in-depth thoughts on La Syndicaliste, please see my colleague Phil Walsh’s review from the theatrical release here.

Video Quality

La Syndicaliste arrives on Blu-Ray in a 1080p presentation that looks pretty amazing in HD. The transfer allows for some welcome texture within the clothing and production design that adds depth to the image. Skin tones are quite detailed and natural all around, especially in close-ups. The environments featured in this story provide a visually pleasing experience filled with intricate textures. Colors are natural and steady throughout which captures the nuances of the space. There are no colors that dazzle unnaturally, but the hues on display are perfectly saturated. Highlights are handled precisely with no instances of blooming, and the deep blacks do not suffer from crush or compression artifacts. This presentation serves up the film in an ideal fashion

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with both a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track in the original French that executes every element effectively. Dialogue comes through clearly and consistently without ever being overshadowed by the sound effects or the music. The environmental effects create a multifaceted soundscape that makes the space feel more alive. The film uses music in notable ways thematically that flow through without issue. All of these moments fill the room with firm fidelity. The sound design remains precisely executed with sounds positioned perfectly in the mix. Despite not being too sonically ambitious, the activity in the low end adds some texture to certain scenes. This is a top-tier release from Kino Lorber. There are optional English subtitles provided.

Special Features

Interview with Director Jean-Paul Salomé: A 32-minute interview with the director in which he talks about how he first heard about the story from a tweet, what compelled him to want to adapt it into a film, why he wanted to reunite with Isabelle Huppert for the project, thoughts on directing a political film, settling on a structure for the feature, and more.

Interview with Maureen Kearney, subject of La Syndicaliste: A 14-minute interview with the inspiration for the film is provided in which she discusses her feelings about having a film made about her life, the continuing struggles of women in France, coming from a family of activism, and more.

Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

La Syndicaliste is a gripping real-life story that feels somewhat overly ambitious in its translation to the screen. There is so much information from both a political and personal perspective trying to be tackled within this one film that both mildly suffer. That being said, the performance by Isabelle Huppert grounds this in something very impactful which makes you overlook some of the storytelling hiccups. The film is very engaging, it could have just used a bit more finessing to make it sing. Kino Lorber has provided a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation and a couple of cool special features. If this sounds interesting to you in the slightest, it is worth a watch. Recommended

La Syndicaliste is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Kino Lorber has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.