Beau Travail (1999)

Loosely based on Herman Melville’s 1888 novella Billy Budd, Claire Denis adapts the story focusing on Denis Lament’s Adjudant-Chef Galoup of the French Foreign Legion, as he reflects on his time in Djibouti where he led a section of men under the command of Bruno Forestier. Lament’s recollections reveal his almost worship-like admiration for Forestier, a seemingly one-way relationship that Forestier is happy to sit (or often lie) back from and enjoy Galoup implementing his orders.

When new recruit Gilles Sentain joins the section, Galoup harbors an instant and irrational dislike of him, one that swiftly turns to blind hatred. Beau Travail is a unique experience; Lament brilliantly portrays Galoup as a figure that is constantly on edge, be it from psychological issues rammed home by the incessant regime of the section that he himself imposes, or his own mind desperately seeking accreditation in an environment that will never offer it. As Sentain’s stature within the group gains traction, as does Galoup’s inner turmoil, and something has to give. There are shades of Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket (1987) and strangely enough Sam Mendes’ Jarhead (2005), although neither of these comparisons lend justice to the originality of Denis’ masterful handling of a character that is wound so tightly that the truly astonishing final sequence may lead the viewer to a number of different interpretations. 8.1/10