Go See This Film Now. I'll Wait.

#27: A Prophet

This remarkable film by French director Jacques Audiard follows the development of Malik, a young petty criminal of Arab descent from his first adult arrest, and imprisonment with the adult population in the French penal system, through his education as a criminal until he emerges six years later as a formidable leader of a crime syndicate.

This film is amazing. While violent and brutal in places, its real contemplation is on the soul of a smart and sensitive outsider who is confronted by the simple choice of oppressed or oppressor and chooses the latter. Violent and bloody in places, funny and charming in others, brutal and loving and loyal all at the same time, this film sugarcoats none of it. No house soundtrack and jump cuts take the edge off of someone bleeding to death, no soft focus and sunsets set a romantic tone. Malik wins not in a blaze of glory but in persistent hard work, a willingness to do the ugly jobs when necessary, a high tolerance for humiliation, strong and dependable friends, and a cultural invisibility and bigotry that leads everyone to underestimate him until it is too late. In short, this is an allegory for the universal immigrant experience.

This film covers similar cultural ground as the District B13 films reviewed earlier--ethnic conflict and French culture, the effects of political and social marginalization on immigrant communities--but whereas B13 played those fissures as revenge fantasy this film just looks directly at them.

Fantastic film. Go see it now.