Schmucks, we ain’t talking of the Prophet here but A Prophet.
Verstehen?
Nein? Dann halt deine klappe.
Blessing our good fortune and thanking Bollywood, Kollywood, Tollywood et al for not releasing any films lately, we headed for Philadelphia yesterday for some Chaat and to watch the French movie A Prophet.
While the Chaat at Desi Chaat House was so-so, the movie A Prophet was so outstanding that we resolved to buy the DVD when it debuts.
At its most basic, A Prophet is a prison drama.
And not since Shawshank Redemption have we seen such a brilliant prison film.
Simply awesome, folks.
More than a Prison Film
A Prophet director Jacques Audiard’s name may not resonate with many.
The recipient of multiple awards in his native France, A Prophet is Audiard’s fifth film. You may rest assured that we’ll watch his previous films and maybe even review ‘em here.
Movie buffs may also recollect that A Prophet was one of only five films nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 82nd Oscars ceremony earlier this month (unfortunately, A Prophet was pipped to the post by the Spanish film El secreto de sus ojos (Argentina).
But A Prophet is more than just a prison drama.
The film is also a richly layered gangster film tightly knotted into the tapestry of the prison story and its violent dramatis personae.
At the center of the film are the young Malik El Djebena (played to great elan by the young Tahar Rahim) and the old Corsican crime boss César Luciani (amazingly portrayed by Niels Arestrup).
While most kids spend their formative years in school, El Djebena is schooled in crime and wastes his early years in juvenile detention facilities and moves to a regular prison at the beginning of the film on a six-year-sentence.
Of course, life in the adult prison is no piece of cake for the young El Djebena, who is soon attacked and his sneakers stolen.
Ah, the theft of the sneakers is only a harbinger of the further ordeals that lie ahead of him. Soon, El Djebena is ordered by Luciani to kill another inmate Reyeb if he wants to survive in the prison and live under his protection.
So, does El Djebena suck Reyeb’s dick for some hash or does he kill him as ordered by the Corsican thug to save himself? Continue reading »
Recent Comments