Beau Travail

In a French Foreign Legion unit in East Africa a senior NCO develops an animosity he cannot explain towards a new arrival. Nothing concrete has happened. The film ties the military narrative almost entirely to the body: drill, washing, preparing food are shot like choreography and dialogue is reduced. The narrative carries jealousy and desire without naming them. Claire Denis directed, adapting a story by Herman Melville very freely. Denis Lavant stars and the closing scene is the director's most cited work. Who it's for: those who like formalist cinema with little dialogue. Who it's not for: viewers wanting incident; the film is almost entirely rhythm and movement.