White Material

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Scott R @ScottR Feb 23, 2026 NYT 1000 films. It does give you much to think about, but you don’t care. I liked that critique. I was frustrated with the Africa it portrayed, it stacks it up to another reason why it is steeped in lawlessness. But then their choices and bizarreness did not make sense to me. Saw on box. See more Claudio C @Claudio666 Feb 20, 2026 Messy Characters (12,288 - 19 Feb 2026 – Claudio Carvalho) In Africa, in a country of the edge of a civil war, Maria Vial is the administrator of the Vial Farm owned by her father, Henri Vial. Her son Manuel Vial is a lazy teenager that stays in bed most of the time. When rebels approach to the coffee plantation, the French army and the workers flee from the area, but Maria is resolute to complete the harvest while her husband, the spendthrift André Vial wants to sell the farm to the corrupt Mayor Chérif and return to France. "White Material" (2009) is a film with messy characters. The protagonist, Maria, is a stubborn woman that does not see the end of the French colonialism in this hypothetical country in Africa. Although hard worker, raised the reckless idle son badly. Her husband is a spender. But the acting of Isabelle Huppert is great. My vote is six. Title (Brazil): "Minha Terra, África" (My Land, Africa") My Blog: https://maniacosporfilme.wordpress.com/ See more Dave S @RT68722908 Aug 26, 2024 The beneficiary of French colonialism, Maria (Isabelle Huppert) owns a coffee plantation in an unnamed African country. Steadfast in her refusal to abandon both her business and her property in the face of a revolution motivated by the desire of the natives to reclaim their land, she puts the lives of anyone in her orbit at risk. While the structure of the film feels a bit wobbly at times, this is probably a conscious effort by director Claire Denis to establish a sense of instability and uncertainty as the protagonist tries to salvage what she believes she is entitled to. As always, Huppert is excellent throughout and Denis directs with confidence. In addition, the primarily handheld camerawork is remarkable and the locations are stunning. Denis again proves herself to be one of the most versatile and impactful directors working today. See more Nov 14, 2021 As obras de Claire Denis sempre representativa e significativa, de uma intensidade e realismo, cru, quase bruto, os dois anteriores com as mesmas características, mas foi aqui, que eu mais me identifiquei, ela entrou num mundo patriarcal, em meio a guerra civil, e o amor de mãe incondicional, fotografia e caracterizações perfeitas, atuações intensas, roteiro escritos nas entrelinhas, forte e cativante… See more Tim G @tmgreene22 Feb 23, 2021 While there's a bit of a "have I seen this before? or maybe it was a book?" familiar element to the plot it still hits hard. See more Mar 7, 2018 A great movie by Claire Denis with an inspired Isabelle Huppert See more Read all reviews

White Material

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