French director Maïwenn’s unusual drama about the members of a Child Protection Unit of the French police force is wildly compelling. While the police are good at what they do, their home lives are a mess. A main storyline involves Melissa (Maïwenn), a photographer, following the cops as they work. Her observational perspective is a good parallel for both the director and the audience — but it also acts as a narrative crutch. The film is deliberately episodic: storylines depict everything from cops worrying over the fate of a homeless woman and her son to making jokes about a teenager who gives blowjobs to recover her cell phone. The cops’ camaraderie is palpable whether the team is celebrating in a nightclub or trying to catch a runaway junkie mother abducting/abusing her kid. But too much of Polisse insists that the cops aren’t shocked when discussing personal matters — only to show them jaded by what they’ve experienced, or using it to justify blowing off steam. Still, this absorbing film’s curious finale packs a wallop.
