Polisse

Polisse (2011) is the raw, Cannes Jury Prize-winning French crime drama you can watch online on iFILM. Writer-director Maïwenn takes viewers inside Paris's BPM — the police unit dedicated solely to crimes against children — and doesn't look away from any of it.

Inspector Fred and his squad handle whatever comes through the door: suspected pedophiles, abusive parents, abandoned newborns, teenage pickpockets. Between interrogations they eat lunch, fight with their own families, and laugh at things they probably shouldn't. Melissa, a photographer sent by the Interior Ministry to document the unit, slowly starts to affect the delicate chemistry of the group. Fred — edgy, volatile, and played by Frédéric Pierrot — can barely stand her watching. The ensemble includes Joey Starr, Marina Foïs, and Sandrine Kiberlain; Maïwenn appears on screen as Melissa herself.

There is no single villain and no clean resolution. What Polisse does instead is accumulate: by the end you understand, in a way no procedural thriller could deliver, what it costs to do this job every day. Stream Polisse (2011) online on iFILM.