White Material

ÖZET

Director Claire Denis returns to Africa - where she was raised, and the location of previous works Chocolat and Beau Travail - for this elliptical tale about an indomitable woman attempting to survive the destruction of her livelihood. Set in an unnamed country, the picture is dominated by Isabelle Huppert as the French owner of a coffee plantation, who's determined to harvest her crop despite an increasingly violent civil war that threatens to engulf the area. But, as ruthless child soldiers approach her land, the ghost-like Huppert refuses to let a lack of workers, her deceitful ex-husband (Christophe Lambert) and indolent son, or the presence of a wounded rebel hero (Isaach de Bankole) on the property deflect her from that task. Huppert is a magnetic presence in a film that sometimes conjures up the atmosphere of Walkabout or Aguirre, Wrath of God, as primal, almost elemental forces seem to bear down upon its protagonists. Unfortunately, the disconnected narrative leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to figuring out when and where events are occurring.