Beau Travail (1999)

Year: 1999 Director: Claire Denis Runtime: 90 minutes Country: France Language: French Rating: NC16 (Some Nudity) Awards Special Mention: KNF Award INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ROTTERDAM 2001 Best Cinematography CESAR AWARDS 2001 Best Cinematography NATIONAL SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS 2001 Synopsis In the Gulf of Djibouti, Foreign Legion officer Galoup dedicates his life and cause to a group of young soldiers. Life passes by peacefully with the same routine: training, guarding, washing, ironing, wandering into town and dancing. Suddenly, the arrival of a beautiful young soldier named Sentain threatens this order. Beautifully photographed and edited like a choreography, Beau Travail brings out the contrast and affinity between different dimensions: between the ever illuminating and harsh sunlight of the Djibouti desert, and the shady and mysterious neon light of the local dance floor; between songs of sacrifice and honor, and songs of lust and jealousy. A cinematographic exploration of the Body as a notion of foreignness.