In "La force diagonale" several men and women reflect on how to live with a turning point in their life and possibly be transformed by it. The film weaves subtle connections between these personal narratives to highlight the impact of external conflicts on individuals. It then turns to a key focus in the work of political philosopher Hannah Arendt: the human capacity to begin, to introduce something new into the world we share. ‘La force diagonale’ seeks to render tangible this human dimension, always threatened and yet ever irrepressible. "La Force diagonale" develops in two acts. First, there are four portraits, revealing how the pursuit of art or thought has enabled these individuals to work through and confront trauma and social violence. Annik Leroy and Julie Morel juxtapose these four testimonies with the work of Hannah Arendt - her thinking inspired by and interwoven with her own experiences, as well as theoretical texts such as letters to close friends. Together, these form different aspects of the same journey. This way of thinking as an active force is then portrayed and embodied by dancer and performer Claire Vivianne Sobottke in a choreography of controlled intensity. Please note that the film is mainly in French, with some parts in English and subtitles in English.