A few months ago I watched a Russian film called Alexandra, directed by the immensely talented Alexander Sokurov. Its ostensibly simple plot of an elderly woman visiting her son at a military camp ruminated on much weightier themes of masculinity and social detachment. Fast forward to the present day (or back 11 years, if you will), and after the recent viewing of Claire Denis' masterful Beau Travail, it's clear to see how Sokurov was influenced; or to put it another way, I'm now aware which is the better, more insightful film of the two.
Beau Travail follows a group of men as part of the French Foreign Legion stationed in Djibouti, spending their day practicing routine military training exercises. These involve unusually long periods of stretching, as well as strange dance moves under the beating heat of the sun. There is almost a mechanical, detached element to the practices of the soliders, as if this is all they know. A failed attempt to dance in a nightclub signifies the shortcomings of these young men in applying what they have learnt to the expectations of modern society. These men seem almost removed from any semblance of outward expression, only waking each day at the crack of dawn to carry out what would, to any neutral observer, seem rather odd. Their way of life is defined by its mascunlinity, yet they perform such feminine tasks as ironing their clothes, and not just occasionally, but as part of a strict daily schedule.
Whereas Alexandra had the concerns of the director channeled through the wearied, watchful eyes of its leading woman, Beau Travail finds its recitation of events in the hands of Galoup, a sergeant with the legion and one whose viewpoint is to be taken with a grain of salt. Denis Lavant plays Galoup with such intensity, emitting hard, cold stares that conceal a greater inner pain. Galoup must have his reasons for being grouchy; the arrival of 'heroic' Sentain (Gregoire Colin) into the legion causes quite the stir, not least because the youthful Sentain, with his social skills and vibrant presence, embodies everything Galoup wishes he could be.
It's worth remembering that we are still under the guidance of Galoup's narration, still seeing everything through his eyes. What we know of Sentain, we have taken from the word of Galoup. His eyes are the lens of the camera and we are living through his version of events. Sentain's only real act of offence comes when he delivers a crushing left hook to Galoup after a moment of deliberate provocation from the sergeant, but until that point we are led to believe, by our narrator, that the boy definitely has something up his sleeve.
Interestingly, Galoup's resentment towards Sentain could stem from two main things. He could either be angry at Sentain for injecting some humanity into the sterile unit, and in turn be repressing some of his own emotions, possibly homosexual. It is his refusal to acknowledge any emotion on either Sentain's part or his own that leads him to take action against the young man.
Or, Galoup could simply be envious of Sentain's popularity, fearing that with the acension of the new personality among the ranks of the unit, that Galoup himself is being further cemented as an outsider. Bruno Forestier (Michael Subor) is the commanding officer, and a man Galoup professes great admiration for. With Sentain attracting the attention of most of the troop, especially Bruno, Galoup must feel further alienated and have his dislike towards Sentain increase tenfold.
Both these scenarios occurred to me and are equally plausible, however, I find the former to be the most fitting in the context of the film's themes. The idea of Galoup suppressing emotion in both himself and another further reinforces Denis' indictment of the sterile, emotionless mechanics of the military, and lends an extra poignancy to events.
The vast desert is the canvas for much of the proceedings, and it's all shot with aplomb by Agnes Godard, but I must give special mention to one of my favourite aspects of the film. The score by Charles Henri de Pierrefeu is sublime; understated when it needs to be, at other times full-blown, without ever ruining the moment. Even some of the diegetic songs such as Rhythm of the Night are well-placed, adding to a scene rather than subtracting from it.
The final ten minutes of Beau Travail are the icing on the cake, feeling almost inevitable and yet so sudden and affecting. Needless to say, Galoup's downward spiral does not lead him to an ideal existence. And yet, he still feels compelled to dance...
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