The documentary “The Women and the Murderer” was a strange pick for me at first, but I came to realize the significance of this film after witnessing how it highlighted the work of determined women in solving the cases of several murder and rape victims. The movie follows the French Crime Brigade in their efforts to catch one of France’s most infamous serial killers and rapists, Guy Georges. The film is comprehensive on all ends – from detailing the evidence to showing the real impact that the murders and the subsequent investigation had on the victims’ families. The documentary is primarily narrated by Martine Monteil, France’s first woman head of the Crime Brigade (now retired) and one of the only woman police chiefs in her country at the time. I found this to be a very powerful statement as the documentary especially emphasizes her desire, as one of the only women in the police force, to not let the cases of these murdered women go unnoticed.
Monteil’s story becomes even more enticing and empowering as the documentary continues. Despite the difficulty of maintaining an optimistic attitude in her work, she perseveres through the hardships that stand in her way. With thorough interviews of the prosecutor in the case as well as the primary journalist who covered the investigation, the documentary leaves no stone unturned, revealing how these cases were the footprints of not just any murderer, but a serial killer.
There are several instances where Monteil elucidates on the differences between French and American society and criminal justice, including how this impacted her search for Georges. In one instance, she blatantly admits how difficult it was to label their leads as belonging to a “serial killer.” She states, “This isn’t America. We [in France] don’t have serial killers.” She draws attention to the stark 3,204 total serial killers in America (for a current population of 350 million) contrasting with a total 71 in France (for a current population of 70 million). This, she mentions, made it difficult for the cops to understand the psychology of the serial killer they were following — they had to turn to American experts in this field for guidance.
The search itself was not an easy one, as the documentary shows. France had no proper, established DNA database at this time, as this idea had been shut down numerous times by political officials. This made it difficult to find a match to any of the DNA samples found at each crime scene. Monteil states she was forced to “circumvent the law” by finding matches through private clinics — it was a question of “[Would you] rather have dead girls’ on your conscience instead of figuring out an efficient, quick way to run matches straight away?” Monteil’s efforts finally led to the creation of a French DNA database - one that is heavily relied on today.
Besides the DNA samples, there was another critical source of leads for the Crime Brigade - the testimony of Elisabeth Ortega, who had managed to escape Georges before he could rape and kill her. While the documentary celebrates her courage, it notes how her testimony remained the only lead on these cases for a long time, leading to many inconsistencies in chasing new leads.
After much effort in getting a DNA match, a suspect for 4 of the cases was identified — a man by the name of Guy Georges. Monteil immediately sent photos of Georges to police across the country, believing him to still be in Paris. The documentary shifts to footage of police officers on a stakeout at locations shortlisted to be likely places to find Goerges. Monteil describes this high pressure situation, mentioning how it was essential that the Crime Brigade’s search for Georges not be leaked to the press. Despite the efforts to maintain security, word got out that the serial killer for these cases had been identified, and Monteil realized the investigation would be complicated - she nevertheless states, “Evading us is no mean feat.”
That same day, police officers on a stakeout for a different case noticed Georges walk into a grocery store. He was immediately arrested.
Finally, the documentary pans to scenes of the courtroom and prosecutor Solange Doumic, who managed to get Georges to confess after days of trial. Her efforts are also acknowledged as she narrates her experience both preparing for the courtroom and being in it. She reiterates the difficulties that Monteil faced, the challenge of being taken seriously as a woman in charge. While Georges was put on trial at this time for only 4 murders, Doumic also expresses how determined she was to make him confess for all 7 of the cases the police knew he was linked to. With justice for the victims becoming her only goal, she managed to strategically get Georges sentenced for all the murders and rapes he was involved in.
The most moving portions of the film, however, are the heartbreaking, tearjerking interviews with almost all the victims’ mothers. I felt stirred by the grief that the mothers brought to the camera, all while making sure to focus less on their daughters’ suffering, speak less of their death, and focus more on who their children were. Footage from an emotional scene in the courtroom, where the mothers come face to face with Georges in his trial, impeccably captures the mothers’ tenacity and resilience. This dedication was displayed in their previous interviews where many had vowed to sit through the trial, as hard as it may have been, for the sake of their daughters.
When each victim is introduced, a short biography about her is given, and when the film ends a tribute is again dedicated to each woman. With the outcome already known, the documentary places a greater emphasis on the victims and their individual stories, ensuring they are treated as the people they were — women and daughters — not as objects of investigation and scrutiny.