Un prophète  

English title: A Prophet

Genre: crime drama 

With: Tahar Rahim (Malik El Djebena), Niels Arestrup (César Luciani), Hichem Yacoubi (Reyeb), Jean-Emmanuel Pagni (Santi), Adel Bencherif (Ryad), Pierre Leccia (Sampierro), Reda Kateb (Jordi), Taha Lemaizi (Hassan). Slimane Dazi (Lattrache), Leïla Bekhti (Djamila)

Director: Jacques Audiard

Screenplay: Thomas Bidegain and Jacques Audiard (from an original screenplay by Abdel Raouf Dafri and Nicolas Peufaillit)

Release: 2009

Studio: Why Not Productions, Chic Films et al.

Rating: 16+

MBiS score: 8.6/10 

 

If Some Guy Wants Your Shoes, Don’t Argue 

 

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Story-line: according to French penitentiary rules, Malik, who has just turned 18, must be transferred to a regular corrections center to complete his 6-year term for attacking a policeman. Considering his young age, the transfer entails much more than a change of scenery: he will have to adapt – and the sooner the better – to an adult world in which ethnic rivalries, violence, drugs and survival are constant concerns.   

Pluses: Tahar Rahim's calm and sturdy performance, able support from the intense Niels Arestrup and other cast members, a brutal, complex and realistic screenplay loaded with lively dialogues and scary happenings, fast-paced direction, fine photography, an understated but interesting musical score and a bracing denouement. 

Minuses: so you won't be misled by its title, take note that UN PROPHÈTE, aside from one line of dialogue, does not deal with religious issues. However, it does contain many instances of violence and racial hatred.

Comments: while some offenders find rehabilitation in the penal system, others use it as an alternative venue for criminal activities until their return to the underworld. Such is Malik's dilemma as he is torn between Arab and Corsican convicts whose power games and reward codes can cost you a lot more than whatever sentence you were handed by the judiciary. Astute and astounding, intimidating and implacable, the much-heralded UN PROPHÈTE is by no means a light movie. Let it sink in a while and you will realize how potent it truly is. 

 

MBiS 

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 Hunger

Genre: political drama 

With: Michael Fassbender (Bobby Sands), Liam Cunningham (Father Dominic Moran), Stuart Graham (Raymond Lohan), Liam McMahon (Gerry Campbell), Laine Megaw (Raymond’s wife), Lalor Roddy (William), Brian Milligan (Davey Gillen), Frank McCusker (the Governor), Des McAleer (Mr. Sands, Bobby’s father)

Director: Steve McQueen

Screenplay: Enda Walsh

Release: 2009

Studio: Blast Films, Channel Four, Film4, Northern Ireland Screen et al.

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.1/10 

 

‟Lucky bastard!” 

 

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Story-line: Ireland, 1981. While their country is torn by the Troubles which have raged on for twelve years, IRA detainees at the Maze prison protest against their appalling living conditions and ask British authorities to treat them as political prisoners.

Pluses: fine acting by a skilled cast, brisk direction, a cold and well-written screenplay featuring striking scenes and brutal, ironic, sometimes humorous dialogues (typified by one frank conversation between Bobby Sands and Father Moran), appropriate production values and a potent ending.  

Minuses: even if I didn’t understand all of the political issues raised, I still found great value in this different, gripping film.

Comments: from the very start − when a prison guard checks his car for explosive devices before going to work − you realize that HUNGER was not conceived for light entertainment. Stark, tragic and powerful, Steve McQueen’s film focuses on suffering as one central tenet of human life. In episodes that transcend political causes and everything else, it proves that pain is not useless; it can purify, endure and accomplish great things even in the most unfavourable circumstances (Nelson Mandela’s years at Robben Island is a case in point). For this reason alone − to which you can add its other qualities − HUNGER is a worthwhile and sobering demonstration of human resolve that reminded me of another strong film about Ireland’s struggle, IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER. 

 

MBiS 

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