Creative: Xavier Giannoli
Address: Xavier Giannoli and Frédéric Planchon
Distribution: Vincent Lindon, Ramzy Bedia, Niels Schneider
Country: France
Duration: 50 minutes approx. (6 episodes)
Year: 2023
Gender: dramatic tension
Premiere: January 30, 2024 (Movie)
★★★★
French filmmaker Xavier Giannoli has repeatedly drawn inspiration from real headlines and social tensions. He used Balzac as a touchstone for his award-winning Lost Illusions, but his filmmaking often hinges on striking, contemporary events. Earlier works such as The History of a Lie, a 2009 drama about a real-life con artist who pretends to be a highway construction manager, and Physical Appearance, a 2018 story about a young woman from southeastern France who claims to have seen the Virgin, show a pattern: documentary precision married to dramatic storytelling. The carbon tax controversy, which dominated headlines in the late 2000s as criminals allegedly profited from exemptions, is another reference point that echoes through his approach.
The series rests on in-depth research and a named book project, with Fabrice Arfi contributing to the intellectual framework. The project expands beyond a single plot thread, as the creator also steers a companion piece with a robust investigative backbone. Netflix’s Kings of Fraud links to Guillaume Nicloux and Houellebecq’s cinematic world, while the broader narrative echoes Olivier Marchal’s 2017 exploration of similar themes in Carbon. The result is a layered investigation that transcends simple crime storytelling.
So what does the Great Coup refer to in this context? Europe’s push to curb global warming introduced emissions caps for the most polluting companies. There was widespread disappointment among environmentalists when some firms could still buy the right to pollute if they exceeded limits. The series examines how those mechanisms opened room for exploitation rather than reform.
Across the episodes, a group of opportunists navigates the carbon quota market. Tunisian Jewish characters coded as Fitous and Bouli spot chances to profit from the system, reportedly pocketing the 16.9% VAT on each transaction through a web of environmental shell companies. The exchange created for this scenario, named Overgreen, is linked to a public banking institution. Supporting figures include Jérôme Attias, a bold investor who grapples with debt and personal loyalties, and who avoids owing anything to a wealthy relative.
Within the investigative framework, the head of the National Forensic Customs Service leads the inquiry. The official, portrayed with quiet dignity, explains the case while the investigation unfolds. Viewers follow his personal struggle as he maintains integrity in a world that often rewards expediency. Interwoven are subplots about a widow seeking stability and a troubled young woman who battles dependency, highlighting the human costs behind regulatory failures. The narrative turns the portrayal of environmental concerns into a commentary on how business and politics interact in modern economies.
The director’s sensibility can lean toward moody, urban atmospherics, as if a city’s glow becomes a character in its own right. Yet the storytelling also captures a broader, more kinetic energy—scenes that pulse with rapid movement and sharp dialogue. The tonal blend nods to classic crime cinema and contemporary thrillers, creating a landscape where power, finance, and accountability collide. The result feels expansive, drawing inspiration from international cinema while staying rooted in the specific social and political climate of Europe and its currency of policy reform.
In this work, the tension rises from the clash between idealism and pragmatism. The investigation reveals how public funds and public trust can blur when vested interests push back against scrutiny. The cast delivers performances that balance gravity with wry, human humor, allowing moments of relief even as the larger stakes remain constant. The production design and pacing serve the core aims: to illuminate how systems intended to protect the environment can become the stage for exploitation, and how individuals within institutions respond when faced with moral ambiguity.
Overall, the project offers a thoughtful meditation on accountability in an era of climate policy, financial experimentation, and media scrutiny. It treats policy fiction as a way to explore how people and institutions respond under pressure, without reducing the drama to mere sensationalism. The narrative’s momentum derives from its well-drawn characters, its insistence on verisimilitude, and its willingness to ask difficult questions about the costs of reform and the human consequences of ambition.