Beau Travail (1999)

Escape the sweltering heat, step into our cinema and embark on a journey through LOADED LANDSCAPES. A battalion of the French Foreign Legion is stationed on the inhospitable desert plains of Djibouti. In the absence of a clear mission, a sensual rivalry develops. Sergeant Galoup (Denis Lavant) looks back from France on his time in the desert and his obsession with a young, elusive recruit (Grégoire Colin). In the sweltering heat, their tensions are pushed to the limit. Male jealousy, military codes of honour and sensual power dynamics: in BEAU TRAVAIL, Claire Denis brilliantly demonstrates just how destructive they can be. The desert comes to life as the hypnotic backdrop to repressed desires. (1999 · Claire Denis · 92 min) Screening at De Uitkijk.