12 men walked into the same chair. Only ego survived.
In a series of long interviews, 12 prime ministers talk about their experience in the upper echelons of power. The function of prime minister, torn between the president and the parliament, appointed without necessarily being elected but responsible for everything, is at the center of debate. With the exception of Jacques Chirac (1974-1976 and 1986-1988), deliberately left out because of his image as French President, those who governed France for the past 35 years agreed to discuss the exercise of power, as seen through archive footage, but also how they experienced it personally. Filmed in the same studio and sitting in the same chair, 12 French prime ministers talk freely about their time in office, from their appointment until their resignation.
Direction
Same chair, same studio—democracy as controlled experiment.
Editing
Archive footage weaponized for maximum irony.
Production
Chirac's deliberate absence screams louder than any interview.
Director
Philippe Kohly
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The film captures France's 'cohabitation' era when PMs from opposition parties ran governments while presidents seethed—pure institutional soap opera.
Kohly's identical framing exposes how each PM performs 'authenticity' differently—some lean back, some grip the armrests, one basically conducts an orchestra of self-justification.
FR
