Style and subject matter are perfectly aligned in this provocative documentary with quick-witted Belgian judge Anne Gruwez taking viewers behind the scenes of real-life criminal investigations.

An examining magistrate, Gruwez allowed the filmmakers to follow her for more than three years. This remarkable level of access lets us see her as she meets with perpetrators at her office (“It's nice when satisfied customers come back,” she quips sarcastically when a previous culprit returns on another charge). We witness her quirky relationship with the police investigators working on a cold case (she asks them to turn on their siren when she wants to get somewhere quickly) and even glimpse her home life, playing with her pet white rat. A particular highlight involves Gruwez’s increasing fascination as she questions a dominatrix about the intimate details of her job.

Filmmakers Jean Libon and Yves Hinant renounced advance scripting, allowing reality to unfold naturally, and resulting in this riveting, stranger-than-fiction tale.

In competition for the Schlesinger Award.