Un triomphe (2020)

Etienne, an actor, has to lead a theater workshop in a prison in Lyon. The five inmates—Patrick, Alex, Jordan, Moussa, and Nabil—are dissatisfied with the previous instructor and are initially reluctant. But Etienne manages to motivate them and plans to stage Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, which reflects the inmates’ lives: they complain that they spend all their time waiting. Although the workshop was only supposed to last a few days, he convinces the prison governor to allow six months of rehearsals so that he can carry out his project, and the actors will be paid like professionals. One day, as Etienne is about to leave, another inmate, Kamel, shows him that he has read the play and asks for a part, but without success, since the roles have already been assigned. However, some time later, Kamel manages to replace Nabil, who supposedly wants to work rather than take part in the play. This creates a problem, since the inmates will need the judge’s approval to leave the prison and perform the play in a real theater, and that is less certain in Kamel’s case. The days of rehearsals go by… On the day of the performance, the group leaves for the Théâtre de la Croix-Rousse. Something unexpected happens: Kamel no longer wants to perform. In fact, he only wanted to perform for his son, who has not come. Etienne tries to persuade him to go onstage, but to no avail. It is then announced that the director, Etienne, will read Kamel’s part instead. At the last moment, Kamel finally arrives onstage. At the end of the performance, the audience is enthusiastic. Etienne, however, is disappointed that his daughter Nina did not come. She explains that she had exams to study for. She is also furious with her father for not asking how her exams went. Following the success of the performance, which was originally meant to be a one-off, other cities request performances too. The second performance goes off the rails, making the audience laugh, but Etienne is furious at the lack of professionalism. After that, things go relatively well, although before one performance the inmates leave without permission to go to a hairdresser’s and have their hair dyed; fortunately, Etienne is the only one who finds out. Kamel is delighted when his son attends the final performance. The inmates come into conflict with the head of prison security because he confiscates or throws away some of the gifts they receive after performances. After the final performance, the situation gets worse, and the inmates even celebrate completely naked. Some time later, the Théâtre de l’Odéon requests a performance as well. In the wake of recent events, the inmates are in solitary confinement. But Etienne once again manages to persuade the prison authorities. At the Théâtre de l’Odéon, among those in the audience are the prison governor, Nina, and the judge, for the first time, as well as the Minister of Justice. When the actors are called, nobody comes, and Etienne cannot find them. He goes out to tell the audience that the actors have left, referring to the play—they are being waited for, but they are not coming—and asks the spectators to go home. Then he changes his mind and tells them his story.