A-Infos (en) Germany, FAU direkte aktion: REVOLUTION WEARS YELLOW JACKETS - Review of "Yellow Vest Rebellion" By Jona Larkin White (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

An almost black screen, a section of the Arc de Triomphe can be seen. babble of 
voices. "Wait..." "We're getting mad, Mr. President. We can't live. We cannot 
take care of our children. We worked for 40 years." "Is that normal? Why are you 
ruining us?" "I'm not ruining anyone." "Our pensions have gone down. We live on 
1,000 euros." "Don't underestimate us." ---- Next, the canvas shows the writing 
"Un Peuple". ---- INTIMATE INSIGHTS AND NEOLIBERAL CRITICISM ---- This is how the 
film of the same name begins, which will be shown in selected cinemas for the 
first time with German subtitles from January 12th. He accompanies the Yellow 
Vest riots from the perspective of four activists from the city of Chartres. The 
visually stunning documentation gets by with just a few comments and briefly 
recalls the facts at the beginning: Macron's government wants to levy an "eco" 
tax on fossil fuels. On November 17, 2018, hundreds of thousands of angry 
citizens demonstrated across France; Activists occupy roundabouts across the country.

So also in Chartres. People stand around the campfire on one of the traffic 
islands, hold up the French flag and listen to the words of the elected speaker 
Benoît, who demands justice, the equal distribution of wealth. In an interview he 
describes his motivation:

At first I looked at the movement with reservations. Because it was about the tax 
on gas, but what turns me off is poverty. I thought it was a shame people were 
only protesting about gas.[...]At first I was surprised, then I soon realized 
that the price of petrol was just the spark. There were many other things behind 
it. And that's when I thought it was time to get personally involved. For the 
cause I stand up for: The fight against every form of need and poverty. And the 
Yellow Vests want the same thing.

Through interviews like these and the accompaniment of four activists, viewers 
are offered an intimate impression of the movement. The protest is given a face 
that would not be possible with short media reports. What is particularly 
pleasing is that the film's heroes are the people who are usually neglected in 
reporting: people who do not hold high office; People from France suffering from 
poverty. They know how it feels when there is no money left to fill the fridge on 
the 10th of the month and they know that they are the broad mass of losers in 
neoliberal politics, but not defenseless victims.

Without comment, the film shows them organizing, discussing and taking part in 
activities such as manning the local toll booth. Or when attending events of the 
"Great National Debate", where they are only asked for their opinion after the 
official discussion part and have better arguments than the MPs, who have nothing 
more to say to people affected by poverty than that the only systematic problem 
there are too few career opportunities and social benefits and the minimum wage 
are high enough. Thus, while biased and close to the Yellow Vests, Un Peuple 
contributes to a more complete history as the insurgent side is finally heard too.

EPIC PICTURES AND VIOLENT DEBATE
I don't drive 100 kilometers every Saturday to fight the police. We are not a 
violent movement. We are here for our right to demonstrate. It's crazy. People 
are fed up with all of this. Every weekend: the police against us. It goes on 
like this.[...]I come to demonstrate in Paris for my demands because I'm worried 
about my pension, about nature conservation, the planet. Here's what happens 
every weekend. We don't want that. We want the government to change. Damn it. 
Government, please change. do something Crap! look at the stones They'll hit me 
in the head.[...]Am I not allowed to demonstrate? What's his problem? He hit me 
with his shield! Am I not allowed to demonstrate? Where is he? We were beaten by 
the police. I haven't done anything. Bloody hell! That's how it is: You don't do 
anything and you get beaten, tear gassed and they just say, "Get out!"

This is a longer stream of words from the streaming environmental and yellow vest 
activist Allan, who drives from Chartres to a demonstration in Paris and 
documents the police violence. Pictures are shown of the devastation. Images of 
the police beating the people of France. In this way, "Un Peuble" manages to open 
a debate about the violent riots, instead of attributing the destruction solely 
to the actions of the demonstrators. A father tells how he wanted to drive back 
to his two children from a demonstration, told the police and was attacked with 
rubber bullets. "Imagine what it's like to be tear gassed for six hours.[...]If 
you were surrounded for six hours, wouldn't you defend yourself?"

Above all, Allan's "Monolog" on the subject of violence is remembered and is more 
lyrical and stirring than any Jelinek outpouring. Director and cinematographer 
Emmanuel Gras has a talented eye for capturing epic images, particularly of the 
Paris riots. By capturing great image compositions, the documentary has a certain 
art-house character, which fortunately could also attract an educated 
middle-class audience to the film in addition to the usual left-wing scene. But 
in contrast to other art house productions, social grievances are not only 
portrayed in "Un Peuple" for the sake of aesthetic satisfaction, which of course 
ends in doing nothing. Gras explicitly names the causes of the grievances with 
the four activists and accuses Macron, neoliberal politics and the unfair 
distribution of wealth. In addition, it offers an activating solution: 
self-organization and collective uprising. The last words of the film are the 
chanting of a demonstrating crowd: "Join us."

A revolution - uprising of the yellow vests. Direction and camera: Emmanuel Gras. 
France 2022 (Original: Un Peuple).

https://direkteaktion.org/revolution-traegt-gelbweste/
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