--- title: Charlie Hebdo Attack: It's Hard Being Loved By Jerks description: The film followed the trial surrounding Islamic groups that sued Charlie Hebdo canonical: https://time.com/3658697/charlie-hebdo-stephane-charbonnier-documentary/ author: ashley Ross article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-07T22:35:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:06:21.998Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Read TIME's Review of a Charlie Hebdo Documentary og:description: The film followed the trial surrounding Islamic groups that sued the satirical weekly newspaper after it published Danish cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad og:url: https://time.com/3658697/charlie-hebdo-stephane-charbonnier-documentary/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Read TIME's Review of a Charlie Hebdo Documentary twitter:description: The film followed the trial surrounding Islamic groups that sued the satirical weekly newspaper after it published Danish cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Read TIME's Review of a 2008 _Charlie Hebdo_ Documentary by [ashley Ross](https://time.com/author/ashley-ross/) ## ashley Ross Jan 7, 2015 10:35 PM UTC by [ashley Ross](https://time.com/author/ashley-ross/) ## ashley Ross Jan 7, 2015 10:35 PM UTC In 2008, the Cannes Film Festival presented the documentary called _C’est dur d’être aimé par des cons_ or _It’s Hard Being Loved by Jerks_, a documentary named for a controversial cartoon published in the French satirical weekly newspaper _Charlie Hebdo_. The film followed the lawsuit Islamist groups brought against the satirical newspaper after it published Danish cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad. In the wake of Wednesday’s terror attack in which gunmen stormed the newspaper’s offices and killed at least 12 people, here’s [TIME’s review](http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1807446-1,00.html) of the film from 2008, written by Mary Corliss, and a clip of editor and cartoonist [Stéphane Charbonnier](http://time.com/3657402/charlie-hebdo-stephane-charbonnier-paris-attack/), known as Charb, discussing the fallout of publishing the cartoons. Charbonnier was killed in Wednesday’s attack. **It’s Hard Being Loved By Jerks** That’s the caption for a cartoon of an exasperated Mohammed that ran on the cover of Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical weekly. It was the winner of a contest the magazine held in support of the Danish magazine that was threatened by Islamic fundamentalists after publishing an illustration of the Prophet with a bomb in his turban. Inside that issue of Charlie Hebdo were 12 other cartoons, including one in which four terrorist whose bodies are still smoking from a bomb blast are arriving in heaven, and Mohammed says “Wait, we’ve run out of virgins.” Muslims in France were no more amused than the ones in Denmark. (They consider any depiction of Mohammed to be blasphemy.) So three Islamic groups brought suit against Charlie Hebdo. Leconte’s film follows the trial through recollections of witnesses and the legal teams as well as documenting the religious and political debates in the halls outside the courtroom. He focuses on the chronological suspense of the trial, and has the benefit of defense attorneys whose brilliance is as sharp as the magazine’s. When the plaintiffs’ lawyer argues that Islam is caricatured more unfairly than other religions, one attorney itemizes a long list of affronts toward Catholicism, including a description of the Pope as … well, it sounds like “Shiite.” It’s a serious issue, gods know, but Leconte keeps the film racing along like a Preston Sturges comedy. Aside from being a tribute to the liberality of the French judicial system (at least on free-speech matters), It’s Hard Being Loved by Jerks is the briskest, most hilarious and, in its subversive way, most inspiring film so far at Cannes. ### See Covers Published by Charlie Hebdo  In this cover, the newspaper called itself an irresponsible newspaper, and likening itself to a Neanderthal, claiming that the invention of humor is the process of adding fuel to the fire. Charlie Hebdo  "The socialist party has chosen its maid." (François Hollande vacuums up Nicolas Sarkozy) Charlie Hebdo  "Gay marriage is so last year!" "Let's go for gay divorce now!" Charlie Hebdo  Mitt Romney seen yelling, "For the White House, an actual white!" during the 2012 election in which he ran against President Barack Obama. To the right, French leaders Francois Fillon and Jean-Francois Copé hold a sign that says "no immigrants can vote." Charlie Hebdo  "We don't have prostitutes any more. Thank god, we still have Miss France." Charlie Hebdo  Osama bin Laden in a late Elvis costume. "Bin Laden is alive!" Charlie Hebdo  "Where are our taxes going?" Missile: "On Syrians' faces." Charlie Hebdo  "Zero growth." Hollande sits in lifeguard chair and says, "We don't move," while everyone in the water drowns. Charlie Hebdo  "The postal service is being privatized?" Rope (presumably for hanging): "I am your new human resources department" Charlie Hebdo  Charlie Hebdo criticized Europe being ruled by banks. Here Hitler shown saying, "I'm an idiot! I should have worked at the BNP!" (One of the largest banks in France.) Charlie Hebdo  Sunday, May 6, 2012, one minute before the election results - France prepares to flick away Sarkozy. Charlie Hebdo  First official photo of newly elected Hollande, pushing Sarkozy into a meat grinder. Charlie Hebdo  Depicted: Marine Le Pen, leader of the far right Front National party. "The new model for John Galliano." Galliano, portrayed in background, made anti-Semitic remarks just before Paris Fashion Week in 2011. Charlie Hebdo  After Gerard Depardieu decided to leave France for Belgium to avoid taxes, Charlie Hebdo published a cover asking if Belgium had the capacity to welcome the entire world's cholesterol. Charlie Hebdo  After an armed man entered French newspaper LibŽration's offices in Paris in 2013, injuring one staff member, Charlie Hebdo published this cover which reads: The press is doing fine. It excites jerks." 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