Beau Travail (1999)

Deep in the desert of Djibouti, the French Foreign Legion trains their bodies to become living weapons. This tight-knit squad of highly specialized individuals are prepping for a conflict that never finds them, where individuality is ground down into dust, and all that’s left is the collective militaristic identity. The salted flats and arid landscape make for an operatic backdrop of Claire Denis’ 1999 feature, Beau Travail, where bodies become the only means for outward expression, and creeping thoughts tear at the soul.

An adaption of Herman Melville’s novella, Billy Budd, this film follows Adjudant-Chef Galoup as he reflects on his life during his time in Africa leading a group of soldiers, and his inner tension towards a new gifted recruit, Sentain, up to where he ends up back at his home in Marseilles. This film excels in creating space for what is left unsaid, and holding onto moments that exist in-between action and reaction. Like a rocket primed for launch, all we can do is hold our breath and see what comes next.

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Where to watch the film:
Max
Criterion Channel

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