A French woman fights for her coffee plantation in
Africa, while civil war and chaos erupt around her DRAMA/WAR
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White Material (2009)Directed by Claire Denis
Written by Claire Denis and Marie N'Diaye Starring Isabelle Huppert, Christopher Lambert, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Isaach De Bankole, William Nadylam, Michel Subor |
Claire Denis is a director that I have recently been able to get into, and my gosh what a privilege it has been to introduce myself to her work. After seeing High Life last year, she immediately grabbed my attention and I finally found another gem of hers through the Criterion Channel and let’s just say she had my curiosity with High Life, but she has my undivided attention after watching White Material.
Isabelle Huppert plays Maria Vial, a French coffee producer living in an unnamed African country that is going through turmoil and a civil war. Maria and her ex husband, Andre who is played by Christopher Lambert run the coffee plantation together but the ensuing chaos around them suggests that they flee for the safety of their lives. Maria refuses to leave her work and takes the obstacles head on. Huppert delivers a jaw dropping performance in White Material with the camera right up in her face, carefully tracking every move she makes. The supporting cast is wildly entertaining and surprising, especially Nicolas Duvauchelle as Maria and Andre’s mentally unstable son, Manuel. Yves Cape provides some of the most astonishing cinematography I’ve ever seen and Claire Denis clearly knows how to bring it all together for a great film. |