Hors la Loi

2010 Director Rachid Bouchareb

This film is the stand alone sequel to Bouchareb’s 2006 film “Days of Glory” and is the second in a loosely planned trilogy. The film starts in 1925 and ends in the early 1960’s and deals with lives of three Algerian brothers living in France during the Algerian war for independence. This war was a messy bit of business involving guerilla warfare, torture, and terrorism against civilians and the film immediately sparked controversy when it was released.

The three brothers couldn’t be more different. One joins the military, one turns to pimping as a way to make himself some money, and the other, after being released from jail where he was being held on ridiculous charges, immediately rises to the ranks of a major player in the Algerian revolution. Throughout it all though, even when things are at their most difficult, they stick by one another. As the brother’s lives grow and change they struggle to take care of their aging mother and to keep the lines of communication open on their strained relationships with one another. As the Algerian resistance movement intensifies each one of them must decide how great a role they will play in the movement and their decisions ultimately affect not only their own individual lives, but they way they viewed by their brothers as well.

Hors la Loi is a film that’s strong in all the right places. The acting is wonderful, the script is well written and the pacing works, the visuals are stunning, and the ending, although expected, is still somewhat of a shocker. It does run a tad on the long side however. Interesting for its historical representation of the Algerian war, but perhaps more so for its message of brotherly love, Hors la Loi is a film that’s well worth the effort to seek out.

The Edukators

2004 Director Hans Weingartner

This film is full of surprises not least the ending. It will keep you guessing as to the outcome all the way. This is one of a very few films where it is well worth waiting to the very end of the credits.

Three Berlin idealistic wannabe revolutionaries embark upon a series of burglaries where instead of theft they rearrange the victim's furniture and belongings and leave behind warnings to create unease. Things go badly awry when an owner returns unexpectedly.

Reminiscent of Goddard's La Chinoise, youthful idealism collides with the starker realities of revolution. The long conversations with their victim, when they discover that he was part of the 1960s revolutionary movement in Germany, is delightfully insightful of the change in perspective over time. I am sure this film will become a cult classic.