Diksha Sundriyal
In Netflix’s ‘The Good Lawyer,’ Leonard Landry’s streak of bad decisions comes to haunt him as he stands at the precipice of losing everything. He has one week to show that he is not the same drug-addicted, jumpy lawyer in bed with questionable clients, tackling two hearings at the same time. His desperation leads him to stumble on a huge case, winning which could change everything for him. It concerns a megacorp called the Varenne Group, which is accused of backing a dangerous terrorist group. The case in question focuses specifically on a massacre in a village called Ekoto in Congo. The film presents a deeply realistic picture of this conflict, adding depth to the story and raising the stakes. SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Fictional Varenne Group and the Fictional Ekoto Tragedy Reflect a Real Cycle of Violence
‘The Good Lawyer’ is a fictional story with made-up characters and plot elements added to increase the thrill and tension. In real life, there are a couple of companies named Varenne, but they have no connection to the megacorp presented in the movie. However, the fictional Varenne Group seems to reflect the real issue of big corporations stirring trouble or looking the other way to secure their own profits. In the movie, the Varenne Group is accused of shaking hands with and providing financial backing to a terrorist group accused of executing a brutal massacre in a village named Ekoto in Congo. The film’s fictional massacre should not be confused with the real village of Ekoto in the Democratic Republic of Congo. However, the violence depicted in the film seems inspired by real cases of massacres and other violent actions by militias operating in the African country.
In real life, the Democratic Republic of Congo has seen some very tough times mired in violence and bloodshed. In the last year itself, several cases of attacks on villages and the brutal murders of civilians have been reported. Some of the groups to come under scrutiny are the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and the M23 militia. The ADF has been accused of violence against civilians in the Ituri province, the Ntoyo village, the villages in Beni and Lubero, and the villages in Kasanga & Djaiba. It is alleged that these groups fund themselves through the business of the corporations that unknowingly end up financing them.
According to The Guardian‘s June 2026 report, companies like Amazon, Sony and Ericsson were said to have “allegedly, but unknowingly” sourced minerals from the Congo mines occupied by M23 militia. According to a report from UN experts, the militia is believed to have made £600,000 a month from the taxation of the minerals, which they are later alleged to have used to fund their operations. The militia’s presence has allegedly created a cycle of crime and violence in the country. The involvement of foreign companies and even governments is alleged to have fuelled this cycle. In the August 2026 report of Africa Defense Forum magazine, the “professed neutrality” of the Chinese government was alleged to be a “commercial position, profitable for both sides while Congo burns.”
This comment was in reference to the recovery of allegedly Chinese weapons and other military equipment from M23’s men. However, all these claims have been categorically denied by the Chinese government and other companies. Over the years, the US and other countries have imposed sanctions on companies and groups that have had alleged links to the violence leading to the deaths of civilians and causing other unrest in the region. The writers of ‘The Good Lawyer’ likely studied these events and explored them from the perspective of a fictional company that is trying to wash its hands of the blood of the innocents. This close resemblance to reality is what makes the fictional Varenne and the fate of the fictional Ekoto hit harder.
Read More: Where Was Netflix’s The Good Lawyer Filmed?
