Beau Travail Movie Review

Beau Travail (1999)

Buy Beau Travail on Amazon // Read the Novella 
Written by: Claire Denis (writer), Jean-Pol Fargeau (writer), Herman Melville (story "Billy Budd, Sailor")
Directed by: Claire Denis
Starring: Denis Lavant, Michel Subor, Gregory Colin
Rated: --/R

Plot
This French film depicts an ex-Foreign Legion officer's memories of his happy life, leading troops in Africa. A new recruit makes him jealous, and unravels everything for which he's worked.

Verdict
It's a meditative film with a dream like quality. It's a nuanced look at irrational hate, jealousy, and love. While the movie doesn't spoon feed you, the story is perfectly clear. Galoup has a lot of feelings he isn't expressing. His failure to even admit to himself how he feels eats at him.
The images are impressive, often creating a synchronized dance out of military drills.
Watch it.

Review
The title translates to "good work." It's adapted from Herman Melville's 1924 novella published posthumously in 1924. He began the novel in 1888, but it remained unfinished until his death in 1891. After years of research the best transcription was published in 1962.

A narrator seemingly reflects on past events. Galoup is in the military, happy with his occupation. The movie often shows how regimented the foreign legion, but also provides them men with an opera like quality when their movements are synchronized and the sound track is big sound and horns. The movements of the military become a dance.

It's an gripping look at jealousy. From where does it steam? Galoup develops an irrational hate of a new soldier, Sentain, but as I watched I began to wonder if it was a deep seated infatuation. Galoup admires his commanding officer, Bruno, though he admitted he didn't know why. When Bruno pays less attention to Galoup in favor of Sentain, that's when Galoup gets angry and jealous. I wasn't sure if it was masking his feelings for Sentain, afraid his feelings wouldn't be reciprocated or that he disliked Bruno's interest in Sentain. It's something the movie doesn't clarify, but it doesn't hinder the story. That's left for us to determine. It could be a bit of both. The ending is understated, but amazing.