MONTREAL - “Elle ne vous suffit pas, ma réponse?”

We were off to a not-so-great start. I had been gently pressing Maïwenn for more detail in her answer to my first question about her new film Polisse, and the French director-actress was giving me grief.

Perhaps she was on her high horse because Polisse is already a hit in France, or because it won the Grand Prix du Jury at Cannes this year. Maybe it’s because she was once engaged to – and has a daughter with – maverick filmmaker Luc Besson. Or, simply, that it ain’t easy being beautiful. Or she was just being Parisian.

This despite the fact that she was an hour late; our phone interview had been pushed back twice at the last minute. We would get through it – both the awkward moment and, eventually, the conversation; but not without a couple more bumps in the road and me having to pull out the old: “Are you sure you want to do an interview right now?”

It’s my stock question when interviewees are being difficult, but I hadn’t had to use it in a while. It worked, bringing Maïwenn’s guard down a notch, if not completely.

In the course of our 12-minute conversation, between minor standoffs, I managed to extract some information and the occasional bit of insight into Polisse.

The dynamic journey into the world of the Paris Police Department’s Child Protection Unit was released two weeks ago in France. It follows a crew of cops as they track down and question pedophiles, abusive parents and troubled children, all while trying to keep things together in their private lives.

The film has been filling seats based on strong performances by a star-studded ensemble cast and a gritty, emotionally resonant tone that allows us to feel for the kids, the cops and even, sometimes, the bad guys.

It’s a fine and, potentially, controversial line that the director was aware of walking. Her approach emerged naturally as the result of an internship she did with the Child Protection Unit after viewing a TV documentary on their work.

“I was overwhelmed (at the end of it),” she said. “I felt empathy for the police and the victims, and empathy for the aggressors. I felt that each aggressor was a former victim or, if not a victim, someone who had lacked love and affection. Humans are not evil, they turn bad when you don’t take care of them.”

She takes her empathetic attitude further, as an outspoken critic of both prison and the death penalty.

“People who go to prison for moral lapses need to heal,” she said, “but life doesn’t allow them to … (We’re talking about) people who don’t have the means or the emotional capacity not to commit these crimes. The death penalty is controlled by the state, which is supposed to have the tranquillity of spirit not to commit crimes.

“It’s a topic that can still make me cry.”

Maïwenn is surprisingly thoughtful when she doesn’t have her guard up. A few such instances arose during our chat, making it easier to imagine her conceiving and overseeing such a multi-dimensional project.

Aside from directing, she also co-wrote and acts in Polisse – alongside co-writer-actress Emmanuelle Bercot. Maïwenn plays a photographer shadowing a team of officers from the Child Protection Unit. But whereas her onscreen character is shy and reserved, the director points out that she is quite the opposite in real life.

The link between Maïwenn’s role in the story and as director lies in the wish of both to document the situation. The point of the movie was not to glamorize the police force, she emphasizes:

“It’s not the 50 biggest stories of the Youth Brigade. It’s more of a slice of life, showing the daily reality of the job.”

As such, she stayed away from tidy plot lines where everything works out in the end, submerging her characters in a frenzy inspired by what she witnessed during her internship. These officers work long hours, go from one case to the next and don’t always learn the outcomes of the cases they work on.

“I held to that (episodic structure of the film),” she said. “It was important for me to tell the stories like that; it’s how the cops live them. The point of the film is to put you in their shoes.”

But while she let her narratives roam free, Maïwenn tried to keep her actors in check. It wasn’t always easy. The film features a sprawling roster of high-profile French talent, including Frédéric Pierrot, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Karin Viard, Jérémie Elkaïm, Karole Rocher and rapper Joeystarr.

“It was difficult to maintain order,” Maïwenn said. “I don’t want to elaborate. It was a combination of the quantity (of actors) and strong personalities, mine included. It’s not easy for men to be directed by a woman, period, never mind one who’s younger.”

Hmm, butting heads with Maïwenn – can’t imagine.

Polisse is the opening film of the Cinemania film festival, which runs to Nov. 13. It screens Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and Friday at 2 p.m. Maïwenn will be present at the screenings and will participate in a discussion hosted by Dennis Trudeau, Saturday at 3:15 p.m. All events take place at the Imperial Cinema, 1430 Bleury St. E. Tickets and information are available at the Imperial or at festivalcinemania.com.