"Beau Travail"
1999
Directed by Claire Denis

Based loosely on Herman Melville's Billy Budd, this is a visually stunning depiction of male rivalry, insecurity and sheer masculine beauty. Denis Lavant, the fascinating actor familiar from the films of Leos Carax, plays an officer in the Foreign Legion who feels his status is threatened by the arrival of a handsome and gifted young soldier (Gregoire Colin). He sets out to sabotage the career of the newcomer. Claire Denis punctuates the story with scenes of military training, brilliantly choreographed for the camera to emphasize the physicality that is the center of the film. "...a stunning work of beauty, mystery, contemplation, and grit" (Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle). French with English subtitles.  90 minutes.