Beau Travail (35mm OmU)

In the organizer's words:

Beau Travail, title: The Foreign Legionnaire, France 1999, Director: Claire Denis, 92 min, 35mm, OmU

BEAU TRAVAIL by Claire Denis follows Galoup, a retired foreign legionnaire, as he strictly leads his unit in Djibouti (East Africa). When the charismatic soldier Sentain joins, a destructive jealousy awakens in Galoup. The precise military choreography and the harsh beauty of the desert landscapes, together with long, meditative takes, create a contemplation on the fragility of the concept of masculinity. Agnès Godard's subtle use of colour and lighting captures the physical presence and intensity of the soldiers and reflects the psychology of isolation and the tension between self-realization and military discipline within a rigid system with incomparable tenderness.
Denis uses a minimalist color palette of soft blues, turquoise and grays, interweaving sea views and desert vistas. This creates a surface of calm, clarity and coolness that simmers beneath. Blue reinforces the sobering, meditative mood of the film, while impressively emphasizing the characters' self-distancing and alienation from themselves.

Preliminary program: Arabesque for Kenneth Anger, Director: Marie Menken, USA 1961, 5 minutes, 16mm, Without dialogue

Price information:

Free admission, donation requested