In a fictitious trial, 12 members of a jury must decide whether British journalist Ian Bailey is guilty of the murder of French filmmaker Sophie Toscan Du Plantier in 1996.
Based on real events, the film reconstructs, through the discussions between these 12 people, a case that ultimately invites the viewer to draw their own conclusions.
The 1996 murder of French filmmaker Sophie Toscan Du Plantier at her vacation home in West Cork is one of Ireland’s most shocking unsolved crimes.
British journalist Ian Bailey was investigated by Irish authorities but never faced trial in Ireland, despite the fact he was tried and convicted in absentia by the French government.
With “Re-Creation,” co-directors Jim Sheridan (“My Left Foot,” “In The Name of the Father”) and David Merriman (“Rock Against Homelessness”) have created a fiction-reality hybrid with a simple question at its heart: what if Bailey had been brought to trial for the murder in Ireland? The film brings us into the room as a fictional jury sifts through the facts of the case, the inconsistencies in the various stories and the inconvenient truths that make the case so vexing.
Featuring stellar performances from an ensemble cast, including Vicky Krieps, who is remarkable and magnetic as the lone, initial holdout, “Re-Creation” is a bracing reminder that, when sensationalism threatens to overwhelm, facts and truth remain paramount.—Jason Gutierrez, Tribeca principal.
This reenactment or re-creation of this celebrated case was a frenzied case study that initially seemed as if it were going to come to a majority conclusion.
But one “not guilty” vote at the onset ushered in discussions of insufficient investigations, mixed up witness identification and even a couple of jurors recounting their own experiences with injustices—even Holocaust memories—while tempers flare with accusations of misogyny.
In researching this case. I found that Bailey was reportedly coerced and intimidated. And not the least of which, Sophie Toscan Du Plantier’s body laid unexamined for more than a day.
How was it that Bailey was called to the murder scene with scant information and ended up exactly where the body was located—if he wasn’t the assailant?
After so many years, Bailey was never punished by the courts in Ireland and never made to submit in France, even after being found guilty in absentia. And that in itself is a tragic travesty.
Find out screening times:
https://tribecafilm.com/films/re-creation-2025
Elaine Hegwood Bowen, M.S.J., is the Entertainment Editor for the Chicago Crusader. She is a National Newspaper Publishers Association Entertainment Writing’ award winner, contributor to “Rust Belt Chicago” and the author of “Old School Adventures from Englewood: South Side of Chicago.” For info, Old School Adventures from Englewood-South Side of Chicago (lulu.com)
