Furcy
Furcy, Born Free is based on a true story that begins in 1817 on Bourbon Island (present-day Réunion), at the heart of the French colonial slave system.
After his mother's death, Furcy, an enslaved man, discovers among her personal belongings a document that turns his life upside down: a possible certificate of emancipation. The document suggests that, legally, he should never have been considered a slave. For the first time, the idea emerges that he is not "property," but a free man. This discovery marks the beginning of an extraordinary and dangerous struggle. With the support of Gilbert Boucher, a young and idealistic prosecutor with abolitionist convictions, Furcy decides to claim his rights — not through escape or violence, but through the legal system itself.
What follows is a battle that spans nearly thirty years. Furcy faces the full force of the colonial establishment: he is imprisoned, oppressed, and eventually exiled to Mauritius, far from his home and his cause. Yet he refuses to give up.
His case develops into a remarkable legal struggle that crosses multiple courts, generations of lawyers, and deep political tensions. While the colonial economy depends on slavery and the interests of plantation owners remain powerful, Furcy increasingly becomes a symbol of an uncomfortable truth: that the legal system can contradict itself. His fight ultimately reaches Paris, where, in 1846, he appears before the Royal Court of Cassation. There, at the heart of French justice, his fate is reconsidered.
- Direction
- Abd Al Malik
- Cast
- Romain Duris, Ana Girardot, Makita Samba
- Duration
- 109 min
- RELEASE
- Thu 2 Jul
- Year
- 2025
- Country
- France
- Language
- French
- Subtitles
- Dutch
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