Beau Travail

Who knew closeted army generals were such great dancers... We all did. A deep meditation on masculinity and the repression that comes with it. In its most ideal environment, Djiboutian military. We see a man blinded by love and clouded by expectations pushed to the edge, but he was not pushed to the edge himself but instead the societal expectations on men. Denis gives a lovely looking mix of man and nature here with lush scenery and blending that in with muscle. This has been a film I've been wanting to rewatch since I understood the story and became more used to slow cinema, I'm glad I have now. But at the same time there is death throughout, a tank in the sun, a club with no voices besides music, exercises but no weaponry, a road but hardly any cars. See, there is a futitious and existential tint to Beau Travail. But maybe it's beyond men, it's about us all. What we have shame to admit, the need to preform as someone who perhaps isn't as pretentious. To play along with status quo or to let that thing be said. Maybe freedom beings with remorse and that goes for everyone to everyone Good work, Clare Denis EDIT 1/7/26: just read Rankine's Citizen which references this film 2 times! Glad it's still present in my mind, allowed me to understand and enjoy this more