24 Days

Synopsis

On a Friday night of January 2006, after Shabbat dinner with his mother (Zabou Breitman) and sister, 23-year-old Ilan Halimi (Syrus Shahidi) receives a phone call. Ilan quickly arranges to meet up with the caller, a beautiful young woman, and is subsequently attacked and kidnapped by a gang. The following afternoon, the Halimi family are sent a harrowing online message demanding a ransom for Ilan's return. Ilan's parents, Ruth and Didier Halimi (played by Pascal Elbé), immediately contact the police.

The police, failing to recognize the anti-Semitism behind the attack, treat Ilan's case as a normal kidnapping. The film depicts the next 24 days, in which the Halimi family receives over 700 threatening phone calls from Ilan's kidnappers. Tensions rise between the family and the police assigned to their case, as days go by without Ilan's safe return. Eventually, more is discovered about Ilan's kidnapper (Tony Harrisson Mpoudja), who seems to be in multiple places at once. The film is a chilling depiction of the real-life events surrounding the attack, and presents a commentary on growing anti-Semitism in France.

Cast

Zabou Breitman as Ruth Halimi

Pascal Elbé as Didier Halimi

Jacques Gamblin as Commandant Delcour

Sylvie Testud as Brigitte Farell

Éric Caravaca as Lieutenant Fernandez

Syrus Shahidi as Ilan Halimi

Alka Balbir as Yaël Halimi

Audrey Giacomini as Mony

Pauline Cheviller as Anne-Laure Halimi

Olivier Sitruk as Raphy

Kevin Elarbi as Karim

Tony Harrisson Mpoudja as Youssouf Fofana

Olivier Barthelemy as Jérôme Ribeiro

Matthieu Boujenah as Johan

Pierre Abbou as Lieutenant Dussault

Emilie Caen as Lieutenant Barsac

Marc Robert as Capitaine Garcin

Sophie Tapie as Lieutenant Vogel

Romain Guillaume as voice analysis investigator

Alexis Michalik as Lieutenant Joubert

Donia Eden as Emma