Sexual harassment: Gérard Depardieu convicted – #MeToo skeptical

The Cannes Film Festival can be imagined as a parallel universe. Films are far more important at the southern French cinematic Olympus than the world outside. But just as the festival opened, news hit the Côte d'Azur with a bang: none other than Gérard Depardieu was found guilty of sexual assault.

A Paris court has found it proven that the French star groped two women's breasts and buttocks during filming in 2021. With the guilty verdict, an actor who, for most of his unique career, was worshipped as a god in France, especially in Cannes, has fallen from the monument.

The 18-month prison sentence is suspended. Depardieu got off lightly. He could have faced up to five years in prison. Almost more importantly, his name will be included in a sex offender database. This essentially makes official, in this single case, what numerous women have only gradually dared to bring against him: Depardieu sexually assaulted them, verbally or physically.

The #MeToo movement, which has had an even harder time in France than elsewhere, is celebrating the verdict with relief. Yet it's clear that only the infamous tip of the iceberg became visible on this day. Sexual violence was systemic (and not only) in the French film industry, a recent parliamentary commission of inquiry found. The power dynamics between directors and actresses went unchallenged for a long time. Women were often victimized under the guise of art. Nude scenes were usually included on the filming schedule without any dramatic necessity.

A lot has changed since US producer Harvey Weinstein's downfall in 2017. For example, intimacy coordinators are now standard on set to ensure that sex scenes are handled respectfully. Psychologists are available. The great silence is over.

What hasn't changed sufficiently so far is the way of thinking. And despite the worldwide #MeToo protests, the setbacks may currently outweigh the progress: The US is governed by a president who once boasted of being able to grab women's crotches with impunity. Equal rights for men and women are in danger of being wiped out again in many places.

Depardieu recently tried to defend himself by saying he was "neither a rapist nor a predator. I'm just a man." From the perspective of his alleged victims, this was precisely the problem.

Depardieu's lawyer has announced that he will appeal the verdict. Meanwhile, his client faces another trial on the far more serious charge of raping a young actress.