Maria Vial (Isabelle Hubert) starts her day as if it were any other day. But today is different. Her workers are leaving en masse, declaring it's too dangerous to work there any longer. There's a revolution. The military are fighting the guerillas, among them a band of armed children, and the fight is spreading throughout this unnamed African country. A helicopter flies overhead, its French soldier yelling down to Maria that the French army is leaving; there is no longer any protection for her and other French colonists. She should leave now. Her ex-husband, Andre (Christopher Lambert) is trying to sell the coffee plantation she works and lives on before it is worthless and the revolutionaries take it over. The mayor of the nearby town tells her to leave for her own safety.
But Maria knows no other life than that of running her plantation and she adamantly refuses to accept the obvious. Like Isak Dinesen generations before in 'Out of Africa' (1985), she will stay on her little coffee plantation no matter what. This is a study in denial and the fate of all foreign settlers. History shows that almost all people who are victimes of imperialism will fight, no matter how long it takes, to win their country back. It was true in all African states, India, Indo China. Not true in the Americas only because the Spanish and European invaders descimated the native populations. Another film opening November 26, 'Outside the Law' coincidentally shows the struggle of another African country for independence from France, Algeria. This film depicts the different path three Algerian brothers take in their quest for Algerian independence and a return to the land that was in their family for generations, but given to French settlers in their childhood. Their struggle takes place in France, and utilizes terrorist tactics to wear the French down, while others fight in their homeland, which was dramatically documented in the 1966 film, 'Battle of Algiers.'
Maria forcefully does whatever she can to keep on keeping on. She finds new workers, she travels by truck, bus, foot taking care of business as the danger heightens. Her panic slowly rises as she can no longer ignore the signs of the end of her way of life. She notices child size dirty foot prints in her bathtub, a woman who quit working for her that morning is wearing her jewelry, men with guns blocking the road demand payment for her to pass. How much will it take for Maria to finally relinquish her hold on the life she leads? White material refers to all the possessions once owned by colonists, but are now up for grabs during the insurrection. We get to watch the changes in day to day life from the colonists' perspective. W are asked to sympathize with her plight. But will we? She's beautiful, innocent of the history of overtaking this foreign land. She was born in this country and has worked hard. She knows no other life. Revolution is a messy, unorganized and brutal. People whom she had worked with, was friends with, are now not to be trusted. I found it interesting that she did not behave like a stereotypical imperialist. Her relations with locals were relaxed, pretty respectful and superficially not racist. They also treated her with the same color blindness. But she simply is not a black African and she owns land that should be owned by the native people, so they beliee. She is in the way. Times have changed. It is frightening for both her and the Africans to go through this transition.
Claire Denis, writer/director of 'White Material' was raised in Africa and lived through this very situation. Her first feature film in 1988, the semi-autobiographical, 'Chocolat,' addressed these same issues.
Note: It was fun to see Christopher Lambert in Africa again since his breakthrough film was 1984's 'Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes.'
White Material
Director: Claire Denis
Writers: Claire Denis, Marie N’Diaye, Lucie Borleteau
Cast: Isabelle Hubert, Christopher Lambert, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Isaach De Bankolé, William Nadylam
Time: 102 min.
Opens November 26 at the Bridge in San Francisco and teh Shattuck in Berkeley
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