Play to pay tribute to convicted murderer
By Alexandra Heilbron on April 19, 2011 | 9 Comments
Although convicted murderer Bertrand Cantat will not appear in the production of Des Femmes at the National Arts Centre and at Théâtre du Nouveau Monde in Montreal, Lebanese-born Wajdi Mouawad, the play’s writer/director, says Cantat’s music will still be featured in the production and the play will be revised to “radically draw attention to [his] absence.” Canadian politicians have vowed to keep Cantat out of Canada, because according to Canadian laws, immigration officials can bar people convicted of serious crimes from entering the country. However, Cantat will still appear in productions of Des Femmes planned for outside Canada. A news release from the National Arts Centre stated, “The absence of this artist will be made felt throughout the production that will be unveiled on Canadian stages … something that will attest to a unified show of support by the actors, creators and technicians involved in this artistic adventure towards one of their own.” Cantat was convicted of the 2003 beating death of his girlfriend, French film star Marie Trintignant (above), in Lithuania and was sentenced to seven years. He was freed in 2007, after serving half his sentence.
What kind of people support a man who beat a woman to death? He hit her 19 times in the face, breaking most of her facial bones. He’s an animal, he shouldn’t be walking free and I hope other countries will shun him as well. I don’t know what’s wrong with this Wajdki Mouawad person though. Does he hate women or what is wrong in his head to be so adamant about supporting a murderer?
Connie although my personal feelings on this topic are similar to yours. I have to disagree based on our current legal system. This gentlemen whether we like it or not has served out his punishment which he was sentenced. That is all based on our current system which is clearly broken. So is your beef really with the fact that he is walking free (I would argue not) or the bigger issue of why his sentence for killing someone by beating them to death with his fists was not greater?
Suddenly Texas’ laws aren’t lookin’ so bad…
My guess would be Wajdi Mouawad is a typical middle eastern man who doesn’t respect women or value their lives. That’s the only explanation I can come up with for supporting a murderer — because he murdered a woman, which is the same as murdering a dog or a fly, in his eyes.
There’s no excuse for murder. None. It’s an unforgivable act because you can never undo it or take away the pain you’ve caused.
Like L1feless my personal feelings are the same with you Connie, but I’m going to play devil’s advocate and offer up a different view point. Maybe the man was not of sound mind when he beat her to death. People do make mistakes, and perhaps he’s truly guilty/sorry for what he had done. We don’t really know the circumstances of what happened that night, nor do we know the man personally. What we know is only what we’ve been told from people like us with their own bias on the whole situation.
So what if he wasn’t of sound mind or he’s truly sorry? He hasn’t paid an appropriate punishment. Three years for a life? I’m surprised more people don’t commit murder in that case, three years of someone’s life is nothing compared to taking a life away forever — from her parents, from her children, from her siblings and from her. It’s an unforgivable act. I don’t care how sorry he is and I’m boycotting anything this Wajdki character ever does from now on.
I agree with Andrea. Of course he wasn’t of sound mind–he repeatedly hit his girlfriend in the face with such force that she died. He should be in prison for life.
The people who support him are the ones not of sound mind.
I’m not Disagreeing with the opinions that he should still be in Jail, nor am I saying that his debt has been fully paid, or his crime just. What I’m saying is that perhaps it was a crime of passion, and what he did was totally out of his character. Maybe Wajdi knows the real man behind the rage, and wants to give him a second chance so that he can escape his past and start to live a fulfilling future. Yes the man was an animal who did animal things to another human being. But unless we fully understand his mind state, the circumstances and who he/she truly is/was, how can we judge from behind our computers and condone him to life sentences in prison of which we know nothing about?
Try telling that to his victim.