beautravail

This remarkable homoerotic and
visually stunning tale by Claire Denis (I
Can't Sleep) is based on Herman
Melville's classic novel "Billy Budd".

REVIEW

We have heard tales of the French
Foreign Legion and their exploits in
many films before, most notably
Casablanca, but never has there been
a more mesmerizing and hypnotically
sensuous take. The film, while never
having anything homosexual, is
imbued with a homoeroticism that one
can practically smell.

This small troop is soldiers is
barracked in the East African enclave
of Djibouti - an arid country with desert
and a salt lake. Sergeant Galoup
(Lavant) rules the men with an iron fist.
The soldiers perform a daily regimen
of exercise that includes Yoga and
what appears to be aggresive hugging
(we can't figure this one out). When
one of the men steps out of line he is
punished by this fierce and rather
unpleasant loner. A new man, Sentain
(Colin) arrives and Galoup feels
threatened by this charismatic new
recruit. The story line is brief leaving
large spaces in the film to convey the
idea that life is harch and slow in the
desert for these moody loners.

Claire Denis' extraordinary film is a
cinematic poem of manliness - don't
expect a lot of action, or any sex. Beau
Travail is journey into a world of male
rituals, codes and an always simmering
sexuality and anger.
Scott Cranin