[MOVIE REVIEW] Beau travail (1999) by Claire Denis

Beau Travail is a state rather than a movie. It's dazzling and suggestive, while at the same time physically meaty. You could describe it as an allegory of men, their bodies and the very trivial elements of our lives.

It's ultimately a poetic depiction of the lingering monotony of everyday. And its implicit beauty. The seemingly trivial and meaningless work we do every day - washing, shaving and cooking, is here elevated into meaningful rituals - without which our lives would fall apart. These practical tasks are the Army's equivalent of the Church liturgy. A glue that makes the soldiers feel a sense of connection and belonging. Something that creates structure in all of these confusingly similar days. To truly commit ourselves to make a bed without a single crease can provide us with a heightened sense of reality. Just as nuns or monks perform their daily tasks with absolute dedication. It makes the monotonous life bearable and allows the men to live in a constant and absolute now.

The second theme in the film is the physical body, and in particular the male body. Claire Denis has taken the help of a choreographer, and each scene and movement is carefully choreographed. How the actors move in relation to each other and to different objects. How they swim underwater, march through the desert and dance at discos in the city. The fully stylized recurring beach scenes with coordinated military exercises brings to mind images from ballet rehearsal halls. The legionary soldiers move with an impressive force, but also with a breathtaking elegance and grace. Everything accompanied by male choirs from Benjamin Brittens opera "Billy Budd". Claire Denis plays with our notions of this macho culture and allows several hard exercises turn into embraces between the soldiers.

I immediately begin to associate the movie with Fassbinder's homo-erotic classic "Querelle". I'm also reminded by how unusual this sort of portrayal, and dare I say objectification, of the male body is.

There is a plot to the film as well, if you were wondering. A love triangle set in a group of French legionnaires stationed somewhere in Djibouti on the Horn of Africa. Sergeant Galoup (Denis Lavant) feels that his position is threatened by the new recruit Sentain (Grégoire Colin) in the power struggle and fight for the grace of their Commander, Bruno Forestier. It has fatal consequences. The jealousy more and more occupies Galoup's mind and he arbitrarily hands out more and more cruel punishments to his subordinate. If you recognize this plot, it's probably because it's loosley based on Herman Melville's famous novel "Billy Budd" (hence the Britten score). The story is a flashback, narrated from Galoup's perspective. We can hear his voice commenting on the story with a certain bitterness, but also with growing self-awareness.

Sergeant Galoup is an interesting character. An anti-hero whose weakness is partially confessed and acknowledged by himself. Outwardly, he's an officer that rules with an iron fist. He's at a physical peak and a role model for the others. At the same time, his self-esteem and mentality is so weak that he breaks down when someone else with charisma steals his attention. His weakness and misery is an important element of the film. This type of male character is relatively rare in movies. The film's other characters are presented only superficially, usually by Galoup describing them in his narration.

Worth mentioning is that Bruno Forester actually is a character borrowed from Godard's "Le Petit Soldat", and is acted by Michel Subor in both of the movies. There is a clear reference to the Godard movie in a scene where Forester plays peekaboo with himself in a mirror.

But the plot is secondary really. It's mainly the mood of the film that gives it its peculiar appeal. Agnès Godard's cinematography is truly magical. The barren landscape, the choreographed movements, the minimal dialogue and the evocative sounds puts the viewer in an almost meditative state. Dazzlingly beautiful.