White Material
| White Material | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Claire Denis |
| Written by | Claire Denis Marie NDiaye |
| Starring | Isabelle Huppert Christophe Lambert |
| Cinematography | Yves Cape |
| Edited by | Yann Dedet |
| Music by | Stuart Staples |
| Distributed by | Wild Bunch Distribution |
Release date | 6 September 2009 |
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | Template:Film France |
| Language | French |
White Material is a 2009 French film directed by Claire Denis and co-written with Marie NDiaye.[1]
The films stars Isabelle Huppert as Maria Vial, a struggling French coffee producer in an unnamed African country, who decides to stay at her coffee plantation in spite of an erupting civil war. The film was very well received, earning high ratings and appearing in several movie critics' top lists for 2010.
Plot
Maria is a white farmer who runs (with her ex-husband, his father, and their son) a failing coffee plantation in an unnamed African country in the present day. Civil war has broken out and rebel soldiers, many of them child soldiers, are advancing on the area. Rebels on the radio advocate attacks on emblems of colonialism. Maria's workers leave, but she refuses to abandon the plantation, and searches for men to finish harvesting of the coffee. As she and her family await the inevitable, the tensions in their personal relationships, and in their relations with the African community, become exposed. Maria puts the farm in even more danger when she looks after a wounded rebel officer known as 'The Boxer'.
Cast
- Isabelle Huppert as Maria
- Christopher Lambert as André, her husband
- Nicolas Duvauchelle as Manuel, their son
- Isaach de Bankolé as "The Boxer"
- Adèle Ado as Lucie
- Michel Subor as André's father
- William Nadylam as Chérif, the mayor
- David Gozlan as Hamudi
Reception
White Material has an overall approval rating of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 93% among the "top critics."[2]
Manohla Dargis of the New York Times described it as a "...powerful, agonized film." Roger Ebert was especially impressed with the performance of Isabelle Huppert, "...small and slender, [she] embodies the strength of a fighter. In so many films, she is an indomitable force, yet you can't see how she does it. She rarely acts broadly. The ferocity lives within. Sometimes she is mysteriously impassive; we see what she's determined to do, but she sends no signals with voice or eyes to explain it."[3] Michael Koresky of IndieWire concurs, and also praises the ensemble cast: "Maria is hardly the film’s only character. Christophe Lambert gives a surprisingly fragile performance as her ex-husband, while Nicolas Duvauchelle is downright frightening as the beautiful, blond, lazy Manuel, who descends to peculiar pathological depths and thrusts himself into unexpected action." [4] Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times also praised the film, "Though it deals with serious political themes and confronts deep personal issues, perhaps the most unexpected thing about "White Material" is that it never forgets to add artful beauty to the mix."[5]
Home media
A digitally restored version of the film was released on DVD and Blu-ray by The Criterion Collection in April 2011 and features new interviews with Denis and actors Isabelle Huppert and Isaach de Bankolé, a short documentary by Denis on the film’s premiere at the 2010 Écrans Noirs Film Festival in Cameroon, and deleted scene.[6]
Top ten lists
The film has appeared on a number of critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2010.[7]
- 1st – Guy Lodge, In Contention[8]
- 2nd – Michael W. Phillips, Goatdog's Movies[9]
- 3rd – Reverse Shot[10]
- 3rd – Amy Taubin, Film Comment[7]
- 3rd – Mike Wilmington, Movie City News[7]
- 4th – Sean Axmaker, MSN Movies[7]
- 5th – Mark Asch, L Magazine[7]
- 5th – J. Hoberman, San Francisco Weekly[7]
- 6th – Melissa Anderson, Village Voice[7]
- 10th – Caryn James, indieWIRE[7]
- 10th – James Rocchi, MSN Movies[7]
Awards and nominations
- Nomination – Denver Film Critics Society Award for Best Foreign Language Film (pending)
- Nomination – Golden Lion – Claire Denis
- Nomination – Satellite Award for Best Foreign Language Film
- Nomination – Washington DC Area Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Language Film
See also
References
- Notes
- ^ Dargis, Manohla (2010-11-18). "NY Times: White Material". NY Times. Retrieved 2011-11-21.
- ^ "Rotten Tomatoes". Retrieved 2011-01-13.
- ^ "Review: White Material". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
- ^ "Review: Running Scared: Claire Denis' White Material". Retrieved 2011-01-18.
- ^ Turan, Kenneth; Critic, Film (2010-11-26). "Movie review: White Material". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-13.
- ^ "White Material". The Criterion Collection.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Movie City News: 2010 Film Critic Top Ten Lists". Movie City News. Retrieved January 13, 2009.
- ^ "Watching and waiting: Guy's best and worst of 2010". Retrieved 2011-01-05.
- ^ "Top Films of 2010". Retrieved 2011-01-13.
- ^ "Reverse Shot's Best of 2010". Retrieved 2011-01-13.