A Prophet Review
Posted by Erik Luers on 02.26.2010
A different kind of french connection......
Tahar Rahim ... Malik El Djebena
Niels Arestrup ... César Luciani
Adel Bencherif ... Ryad
Hichem Yacoubi ... Reyeb
An epic spanning a mere six years, Jacques Audriard's Academy Award-nominated film, A Prophet, takes biblical allegories, graphic violence, and an in-depth view of crime in and beyond the prison walls and blends them all together into an unconventional would-be gangster movie less concerned with theatrics than with realistic fantasy. As much of an oxymoron as this previous sentence may appear to be, Audriard uses elements of religion to ground his film and expand upon its lead character's internal conflict and despair (his apparitions are as much symbolic as they are hallucinations brought about by a guilty conscience). Selected for being the headstrong runt of the litter, our Malik, an illiterate French Arab newbie doing time for a minor offense (including attacking/harassing cops), becomes the whipping boy/apprentice for the big time mafioso known as César, an aging kingpin behind bars for the remainder of his existence. In prison, as in other walks of life, it's about who you know that gets you to where you want to be. From petty teen to leader of the in-house crime factions — his ethnicity will help more than hurt — Malik takes hold of a path he never wanted and becomes a drug pusher and murderer in the process. Claustrophobic and isolated, A Prophet presents a life with crime imposed upon it, and asks us to decipher between the morally wrong and those who lack morals.
When we first meet Malik, he is a scared, sleepless inmate in juvie, about to be transferred to the adult prison across town. On the day of, we see him staring out of his cell at a commotion going on between another delinquent and a guard. Malik is afraid, sometimes lowering his head as to not draw attention to himself. Audriard presents Malik's point of view much the same way he unravels the film's opening credits, through the use of a circular iris fading in and out like a surveying spotlight. Later, when Malik is driven to his new prison surroundings, he observes the city that will become a distant memory to him over his six year sentence; once locked inside, the only opportunity for fresh air will be the prison recreational grounds.
Wanting to get through his sentence as quickly and pain-free as humanely possible, Malik develops into a quiet loner. During rec hours, he keeps his head down and stares at his shoes (which are subsequently stolen by two men soon after). Never desperate to make an alliance, Malik nonetheless draws the attention of the aforementioned César, a man-up-in-his-years resembling an up-in-his-years Marlon Brando in both weight and stature. César and his crew/posse/lackeys, seeing that Malik is reckless and in need of protection, tell Malik to carry out a specific hit on a new prisoner (a man who had made a pass at him in the shower). I say "tell" and not "offer" for Malik is not given a choice — once notified of the task, he must either carry it out or prove to be a victim himself. If executed properly, he will be "in" with César and his boys for the remainder of Malik's sentence (and beyond, if he so chooses). But if he fails.....
Audriard has us follow Malik's daily activities leading up to the impending murder, watching him sew jeans, get into fights (if thrown in The Hole, he will be unable to carry out the whacking), and practice hiding a razor blade in the deep corners of his mouth. As much blood as Malik loses preparing for the incident, it is less than nil when compared to his victim's. Tension filled and flamboyantly gruesome, the anticipated sequence is carried out in a rush of impromptu, quick thinking, and calculated cleanup post vein slicing. Set up to look like a suicide, the requested inmate has been put to rest, César's clients on the outside are happy, and Malik is granted good eats and the fear of everyone on the playground. Audriard's film then becomes more procedural (although no less fascinating), as it chronicles Malik's years as César's confidant and business partner. Think of it as a prison sentence morphed into an extended entrepreneurial internship.
Several times throughout the film, Audriard uses onscreen text to announce certain dates, characters, accomplishments, and emotions to the curious viewer. What means what and who is who? At times informative and cognitive, the text enhances a scene by serving as a (somewhat vague) narrative enhancement — "40 Days and 40 Nights is a simple one to interpret, while the identification of certain gang members like Latif is perhaps less so. Sometimes pausing a scene to draw focus to a facial expression and/or to make an important introduction, the film sets up the pieces like morally inclined scriptures. The noting of Christmas day is significant for obvious reasons. And although some are less cut and dry, there's something to be said for food for thought, Christian inspired soundbytes (something good), deserving of its anticipated polemical battlegrounds.
Many will feel compelled to delve further into the film's overt symbolism, and Audriard more than welcomes them to do so. The ghost (or is it spirit?) of a certain someone arrives to play the roles of both Catholic guilt and sanctimonious guardian angel, and Malik is simultaneously blessed and cursed. The Lord Almighty can forgive him for his sins, we are lead to believe, but can Malik find forgiveness within himself? The prison confines like the mind. I will leave the inclusion of an ill-fated deer to the more educated, post-post Grad school scholars. Fate intervenes in mysterious ways sometimes, and the Italians are just as impressed and awestruck as we are. The shot of the animal flying upwards into the air is brutally graceful, but how did Audriard and his skilled cameramen achieve it? When using a sacrificial deer, best not to reveal too many secrets.
Another memorable moment, operatic in its silence, must be noted, one involving an attempted shoot out on a public street. Never going according to plan (as Malik has already learned from his first slaying), a rehearsed gun-down turns into an in-your-face, up close and personal shooting spree.....inside the enemy's own automobile. With the sound of bullets being fired within such an intimate space (Malik's friend shoots from outside the truck), the sound is muted as Malick goes momentarily deaf. Disoriented as he may be, he is in a state of euphoria, not necessarily for murdering others but for managing to stay alive himself. This is the life he leads. Malik later goes to rest at his good friend's family's house, holding onto an innocent baby as he tries to will himself to sleep.
Tahar Rahim's performance as Malik has already garnered praise (the film was shown back in May at Cannes) and will continue to do so as more people see the film. Grief-stricken, conflicted, and at times darkly humorous (his testicular cancer jokes are playful, not malicious), Rahim's performance starts internalized, grows outwards, and matures into a man with a strong head on his shoulders and a positive (never jaded) outlook on life. While Malik got mixed up with the wrong crowd, no one can dispute that it wasn't a "do or die" situation — he did, and thus, did not die. Rahim's performance hits a lot of high notes: when he is first brought to the adult prison, he must give in his personal possessions, strip down naked, open his mouth wide, bend over, and cough. When, years later, he goes through airport security on a mission from César, he almost feels obliged to do the same. Retrieving his six year old items at the end of the film, Rahim portrays Malik as a powerless boy turned into a confident man. Oh, and special mention must also go to Niels Arestrup. As César, Arestrup is the father figure we all had, drinking coffee, fed up with cellular phones, and organizing monthly whackings.
Montages in motion pictures about crime may appear a little cliched in this day and age. There's one in A Prophet that's something special. I'd like to view it again so that I could describe it to you in vivid detail, shot by shot, frame by frame, away from the initial high I felt. The song is energetic, up-tempo rap from the very successful, Queens bred recording artist, Nasir Jones. It's derived from the 2004 double album, Street's Disciple (the previous album was entitled God's Son), a title Malick was fortunately never given. No, he was a meager prophet, one who served his sentence and lived to tell about it. His forty nights had commenced, and the blood had been washed from his hands. Peace be with him.
The 411: So 2010 begins to take shape. A Prophet is an intricate film, one specializing in details and authenticity (and deft characterization), and it's most certainly worth checking out. So, check it out. I've tried to detail my pleasure with it, but will it prove to be the same as yours? Only one way to find out. This is an excellent piece of work, and if it doesn't turn out to be one of the best of the year, what a year we have awaiting us. It's a new classic of its genre.
