Beau Travail (1999)
Wax poetic masculinity.
Presentation:
Claire Denis creates a artsy art house film, or maybe it is a mood piece…vignette character study? I’m not exactly sure what to call this, but it is definitely highly reminiscent of Malick. The film is narrated by an-ex French legionnaire military officer. The film is told through his reflective memories, which feel like flashback snapshots. Everything is narrated through an effusively sensitive tone, contrasting with the typically masculine material. This makes for a unique experience from the female director, whom provides a feminine perspective that is tonally similar to Agnes Varda. The little story there is in this film occurs in the last 30 minutes, which I found to not be a twist worth waiting for. It wasn’t disappointing, but for those that watch this film solely because they hear it has some Incendies level climax, prepare to be disappointed (the film does bear some contextual similarities). But at least the cinematography is extremely well photographed so you won’t feel like you wasted your time.
Analysis:
The story is about Officer Galoup and soldier Sentain’s relationship. Galoup has an irrational hatred for Sentain and part of the film’s ambiguity is why. It could be that the reason doesn’t matter and the hatred stems from some form of competitive masculinity. There are many scenes that reinforce this such as trying to perform jumping push-ups next to each other. However it’s apparent Denis intends to at the very least suggest homoeroticism. This quite clear from how the shirtless military drills are photographed - naked, hugging, thrusting phallic swords at each other. I think this is actually quite a good theme and the intimacy is not as outrageous as it seems. But because it is slightly ambiguous, it allows Denis to also address wider commentary challenging war, traditional masculinity and the competitive nature of men. But the more I think about the execution and direction, it’s pretty safe to label this as an LGB film with the abundant sexual confusion and imagery.
Conclusion:
This experience feels like if Terrence Malick and Maggie Gyllenhaal made Incendies. Maybe the closest film overall will be Moonlight. It’s unbearably wax poetic, but the artistic vision is undeniable. This film is basically art house commentary on masculinity. However, with such a delayed story I was long checked out by the time of the emotional payoff. But it’s quite tricky to not recommend this film because there are fantastic ideas in here. This niche viewpoint will doubtfully speak to film bros, but could have potential to be a cinephile or artist’s favorite film.
Recommendations
Wax poetic masculinity.