"Un Prophete"
(2009, Jacques Audiard, France)
Average Contributor Rating: .

One thing never strayed too far from my mind when I was watching Audiard’s critically acclaimed film, “Un Prophete”. Despite its wins at Cannes (the film took home the Grand Prix), and the fact that it is France’s official selection, it wasn’t the best French film I’ve seen this year. That title, undoubtedly, goes to “35 Shots of Rum”, Claire Denis’ sublime Ozu-esque look at family life in modern France. However, it’s not hard to decipher why “Un Prophete”, the fifth film from Audiard, son of revered director and screenwriter Michael, has been chosen above “35 Shots” to be France’s competition film at the Oscars. It’s much more Academy friendly; faster paced, slightly more epic, with a clearly defined lead character, and one plot strand that extends itself over all others. Yes, it was a wise decision from the French film committee to choose “Un Prophete”, because – unfortunately for Denis – it has much more of a chance of winning.

But the point still remains; “Un Prophete” is a little more formulaic, a little more conventional, and a little less socially aware than “35 Shots of Rum”. Whilst Denis’ film captured the intricacies of day to day family life, Audiard’s is more concerned with riveting, exciting semi-action that – whilst never conforming to the norms of Hollywood filmmaking – can’t really match the subtle pleasures that can be had in “35 Shots”. However, enough of this comparison, I just wanted to make it clear that “Un Prophete” doesn’t deserve to be going to the Oscars this year, even if it does stand more of a chance of winning. Let’s talk about Audiard’s film in its own right, because there is no denying that it is one of the most riveting films of the year. Set in a prison, young Franco-Arab Malik El Djebena (Tahar Rahim) is sentenced to six years for an unspecified crime. When in there, he begins to climb his way from the lonely, alienated, friendless youth which he begins as, into quite a formidable player.

“Un Prophete” is doubtlessly a film that will rivet a wider audience than the aforementioned Claire Denis film, simply because it has a fine story, with a great central performance, and impressive set pieces. It is a thriller where the thrills come, mostly, in the form of words rather than actions, and that is certainly a refreshing change. For a film that sits just the other side of a two and a half hour runtime, this is a bold move, but one that certainly pays off. Audiard’s film is concerned, mostly, with relationships rather than bullets. El Djebena begins to climb up the ladder by making connections, doing as he’s told, never rubbing too many people up the wrong way, and going about his own business. It’s an intelligent plot device; we’ve all seen prison dramas with fist fights (“the Escapist”) or gang rape (“American History X”, “the Shawshank Redemption”), but it feels somewhat fresh and original to see a film concerned primarily with in-prison politics.

And these politics are concerned with traits just as important – or existent, rather – on the outside as they are the inside; propaganda, prestige, racial purity, etc. Brawn rarely comes into it, and although we are treated to the obligatory man-on-man forced sexual encounter, “Un Prophete” is a war of minds and words, with all of these things playing their roles to create kings and jesters, princes and paupers. And that, I guess, is why “Un Prophete” has been so successful amongst critics and on the festival circuit; because it takes an old genre and turns it into a somewhat original film. However, there are certain things that even Audiard can’t escape; the aforementioned gay sex which – by now – seems a necessity in the prison film subgenre and has thus lost all of its impact, the silly masturbation scene which is neither funny nor worthwhile on the character progression front, and the ending, where machismo finally seems to seep through the otherwise well measured and maintained seams.

These flaws, though, are few and far between, and it is indeed important to note that “Un Prophete” remains an entertaining experience from beginning to end. It is nice to see a film this entertaining that includes a little bit of social commentary, but the main reason why you should go and see it is because it will rivet and entertain you from beginning to end. The prison is fantastically envisioned; imposing and dominating over a group of lost souls who, for the most part, meander between its walls with no purpose or drive. Most of the characters are well formed, particularly Niels Arestrump’s Cesar Luciani, who manages to escape the shackles and conventions of the modern day crime lord to become a character in his own right. He’s a manipulative presence, and one who gives you just enough to keep you close, but takes away just enough to let you know who is boss.

And then there’s El Djebena, mercilessly played by Tahar Rahim, who is an intelligent and sympathetic protagonist who plays his cards so close to his chest, not even the audience can see what he’s doing half of the time. The performance of Rahim is certainly worth marvelling at. The best scenes see him alone, in his cell, either talking to a dead man, practicing producing a razor blade from his mouth, or simply eating his dinner, alone, in despair. Rahim manages wonderfully in a role that requires him to be on screen for over ninety per cent of the one hundred and fifty minute runtime, and the performance is so well measured that the progression of El Djebena from a meek, lonely new guy into a formidable player with his own network of contacts is a joy to watch.

“Un Prophete” is an exquisitely directed, well performed film that, whilst never managing to fully escape the accepted set of clichés associated with the prison movie subgenre, does manage to find originality in otherwise stale territory. It stands a great chance at the Academy Awards, with only “the White Ribbon” jumping out at me as a worthy contender to the throne, and – out of the list of official selections for the Foreign Language award – I wouldn’t be too put out if it did take home the gong. It’s still not as good as “35 Shots of Rum”, though. . JB.