In 15th century France animals were held as responsible for their actions as humans. All of the court cases in the film are based on actual court records including the opening scene. A man and a donkey are about to be hanged for having carnal knowledge of each other. A local parish took up a petition attesting to the good character of the donkey; saying it would never have willingly participated and so it was pardoned on the spot. This really happened according to an interview on the radio. The main case is a pig charged with murder makes it a different kind of film noir. The costumes, sets and actors are superb. Subtle humor is sprinkled throughout. This is one of those rare films that left me and friends completely satisfied as having watched it.
Review of The Advocate
