In the 16th century in the Cévennes, a horse dealer by the name of Michael Kohlhaas leads a happy and prosperous family life. When a lord treats him unjustly, this pious, upstanding man raises an army and puts the country to fire and sword in order to have his rights restored.

“It’s extremely helpful to keep Kleist’s deceptively simple book in mind while viewing Arnaud des Pallières’ atmospheric and sturdy adaptation, which is transposed to 16th-century Cévennes and stars a commanding Mads Mikkelsen. Pallières has spoken of it as a medieval Western but its critical questions – Can terrorism be justified? Is the state monopoly on violence the basis for civilization? – reflect extremely contemporary concerns.” – Vancouver FF