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"Oh, f***!"
"Shut up, you'll figure out later. Shut up for now."
CSM THIERRY L. - GIGN Chief Instructor
"That was... not much."
"What can I say about such a fight?"
"One guy has a bit more technique, the other goes to the fight, takes punches"
"but has nothing else than his bravery to fight with."
But Stéphane Poulain may still be hopeful, since bravery is much valued in the GIGN.
Lagging behind the other candidates, it's now Republican Guard Jean-Marie Meslin's turn
to show he has what it takes.
But he's overpowered very soon.
"The last two seconds, you did left-right..."
"There are two minutes left. You still can make it in those last two minutes."
"If you really wanna make it, do it now!"
The 2nd round is similar to the 1st one: long and difficult for Jean-Marie.
With this fight, Jean-Marie Meslin had high hopes to make up for his lagging behind,
but his performance wasn't good.
"Nevermind, that's fine."
"This is the last test."
"Even though he's exhausted from the past excruciating week, he gives everything."
MASTER SERGEANT JEAN-LUC V. - GIGN Instructor
"Some people give everything, take blows, but still manage to punch and kick back."
"Basically we need people who don't balk at fighting."
"Even if they take punches and are hurt, they must fight on."
"You can't get anything from someone who bows his head,"
"on a psychological level, he's not a dominator."
By the end of the 5-day selection, the instructors are capable of evaluating the candidates,
but Meslin is also able to assess his true level.
"I didn't perform well."
"I didn't perform well because physically I wasn't up to the task."
"I'll accept the instructors' verdict."
"When you dare to enter those tests, you need to be smart and humble enough to accept failure."
"Assemble properly! Not like a sheep herd."
Afternoon of Day 5.
"In three rows!"
Test Week is coming to an end.
The dream is over for some candidates.
The CO of the GIGN has made up the list of candidates called for an individual interview.
"Only a few of you will be called for an interview."
"Those who are discarded can rest assured they have proven themselves to be worthy."
"We've rarely had sessions where so many candidates make it to the Friday morning fighting test."
"The 13 NCOs who are through are:"
"Dumesnil, Desfoux, François Didier, Guibert, Nguyen, Amadio, Aguilar, Walter, Chevalier,"
"Lise, Puybras, Poulain and Fernandez."
"The officers who are through are:"
"Villeminoz, Drouot, Champenois, Kasimajou, Caniotti, Goumain, Parmentier."
Republican Guard Jean-Marie Meslin hasn't been called.
His dream is over.
"Officers first. Those who didn't pass and the others afterwards."
"You haven't been selected for legitimate reasons."
"Some were lagging too far behind in terms of physical capability."
"Others for reasons pertaining to their personality."
"This job doesn't really suit your abilities."
Republican Guard Jean-Marie Meslin who wanted to put bad guys in jail, will never join the GIGN.
The jury's conclusions are indisputable.
He'll thus go back to guarding official buildings.
A new test awaits those who have passed, 20 gendarmes out of the initial 43:
two individual interviews lasting an hour and a half in total with part of the GIGN staff.
These interviews are confidential and we aren't allowed to attend them,
but it seems the GIGN elite gendarmes will try to unsettle the candidates.
The interviews are over and it's now time for the final deliberations.
Instructors, platoon leaders, officers and NCOs alike, all may give their opinion.
Our crew is allowed to attend the deliberations. The cases of all 20 candidates are reviewed.
"Voice your concerns if you have any major objection regarding any candidate undergoing pre-training."
François Guibert's case is the first to be reviewed.
"He was a bit disappointing this morning."
"Perhaps judo isn't the right combat sport."
"We'll soon know the verdict. Who's going to the next stage and who's not. "
"This morning's fight has shown he must be careful not to be over-confident."
"He was nearly knocked out this morning."
"He must learn from it."
"Declared fit."
Stéphane Poulain's case quickly initiates a debate.
"Poorly convincing."
"I ain't sure at all after the interviews."
"Perhaps I'll be sent home today and it'll be over."
"His performance constantly went down during Test Week."
"He's an honest, straight guy."
"He's been training since his failed first attempt."
"He'll still need to work hard. He lags far behind." "How old is he?"
"I don't think he should be given his chance. He’s shown he’s quite limited in some capacities."
"He deserves to undergo pre-training by virtue of all his efforts and sacrifices for more than a year."
"He can prove his true worth. He's a go-getter at heart."
"Declared fit albeit with reservations."
When opinions diverge, the CO always has the final say.
"Villeminoz. He's ended up second overall."
"See who I mean? Short build, brown hair."
"Young, lacks the profile, lacks the personality."
"He's the one we have an unfavorable opinion of."
Villeminoz's case starts a debate as well.
Some believe the young officer is perhaps not suited, but the CO will decide as always.
"Given his test results, I believe he deserves to be given a chance and he should pass."
Benoît Villeminoz,
Stéphane Poulain,
François Guibert: all three have been selected.
The fallen of the Gendarmerie. On every 16th of February, every garrison pays tribute to them.
"Moved by such military values as availability, dedication, courage and self-sacrifice,"
"gendarmes, ever too many, pay the ultimate price for their commitment to serve the community"
"and to honor the principles of our democracy and the rule of law."
For Lieutenant Benoît Villeminoz, Test Week is behind him and now is time for reverence.
"This is an important private event for us."
"We observe a minute of silence in honor of those who fell in the line of duty in the past year."
An emotional moment, but he's already thinking about the 2nd stage of selection:
another 8 weeks of tests.
"Will the next level be tough?" "Yes, definitely."
"It's gonna be what we've already been through but to the power of 4..."
"during a period of time 8 or 9 times longer."
"I've passed the first stage but there's still a very long and tough road ahead."
300 miles away, Stéphane Poulain is reunited with his family.
"I missed my little monster the whole past week! Sweetie, what do you wanna do?"
"Did you often think about her during the past week?"
"Not during each test..."
"Between each test I thought about my wife, my daughter."
"I strive to be successful for them as well."
"If I succeed, my wife and daughter will be proud of their man!"
"This week has been very long!"
"Why?"