A pistol stuck in the mouth, the commander Patrick Nebout is forced to kneel in front of his attacker who, opening his fly, loose "I always dreamed of hitting a cop". The scene, trying, will be broadcast Wednesday on France 3 at 8:20 pm (and from this Monday in preview on Salto), in "Plus belle la vie", a series that has never been afraid in the past to deal with subjects sensitive or taboo, such as surrogacy or marriage for all. This time, to address the issue of sexual violence against men, actor Jérôme Bertin, who plays the policeman, has met victims at length, thanks to the association Les Résilientes which runs a dedicated support group.
When the production offered him the plot, two years ago, Jérôme Bertin did not hesitate for long.
“It's really a very strong social issue, which will certainly allow us to free the voices of men who are being raped in France.
Because it is a somewhat taboo subject, we talk about it very little.
So little that the former journalist had all the trouble in the world to find reliable information on the subject.
He sums up: “Every day, in France, there would be between 7 and 40 men who are raped or victims of sexual assault.
Every day.
In France.
It's enormous.
But you realize the range: between 7 and 40. That means the little precision we have!
We are perhaps in the prehistory of the discovery of sexual violence against men.
It is necessary to talk about it.
"
"It doesn't only happen in prison"
To bring this intrigue to the screen, Jérôme Bertin questioned victims, listened to their story. All have said their shame, their feeling of guilt, even though they have nothing to do with it. “I was in contact with five raped men,” says the actor. It's difficult for them to talk about it. I don't want to betray them. I want them to recognize each other. »Of these exchanges, he keeps a vivid memory. "I'm not hiding from you that it was…". Jérôme Bertin breathes. His sentence remains in suspense. “In any sexual assault, there is a very high degree of violence. And the words spoken by the aggressor, impossible to erase.
In the sequence, extracts of which are already circulating on the France.tv site, we see Commander Patrick Nebout being attacked. “He thinks he's going to get killed. Until he realizes that he is going to have to do something that will destroy him. It's like a second assault. »With which we will have to live. “There was no question of playing things by halves, continues Jérôme Bertin who has not slept for a month, and I think that this sequence works very well. She's strong, she's really strong, in what a sexual assault can be. "
More than anything, the actor hopes to free the words of victims walled in silence. “What I felt is that from the moment they speak, when they are able to overcome the shame, they were able to rebuild themselves. They don't erase the trauma, it's part of their identity, but it's no longer just experienced as suffering, it can become a force. "Anya Tsai, founder of Les Résilientes, herself a victim of rape and specialized in resilience after sexual violence, has just published a book in this direction," The Gold of our scars "(Ed. First). Another challenge: to raise awareness that “this is not an epiphenomenon. It's not a little trick. It doesn't only happen in prison. "Choose Commander Nebout, a straight man, virile, father of a family," the one who arrested the Enchanter ",to embody this story is to say “it happens to everyone”.
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"Un si grand soleil": backstage, studio, sets… immersed in the hive of the France 2 series
Addressing sexual violence against men, at dinner time, in a popular series watched by more than 3 million viewers, the ambition is immense.
And beneficial.
“There will be a discussion in the families, at the table.
More beautiful life
will not resolve the issue of sexual violence alone, but it can make it exist in the media, ”still hopes the actor, who also expects negative reactions.
Almost four years after the essential tidal wave of the #MeToo movement, it's time to open our eyes to another, equally sordid reality. Today, Jérôme Bertin hammers him fiercely: “Rape has no sex. Sexual violence has no gender. We must stop opposing women and men. The thing to denounce is sexual assault. We all need to be together to solve this problem. "