Far From Men

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Alain E Maybe if I were French I would have the patience to watch this. We are in 1954 as the violent war of independence starts in Algeria which is presently a French colony. A French elementary school teacher is warned that he should abandon his post in a small town for something safer but he declines. Then a French guy shows up with an Arab prisoner and the teacher becomes responsible for delivering him to the authorities hours away. I don’t find any of this remotely realistic. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/29/25 Full Review Gisele H Stunning shots of landscape, audio wasn't working, more noise of wind and rocks falling, certainly left an impression but some background information at the beginning might have helped Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 08/04/24 Full Review Ola G The events of the movie take place in French Colonial Algeria, on the eve of its war for independence in 1954. Daru (Viggo Mortensen), a French school-teacher goes about his day teaching geography to the Algerian children from nearby villages, playing with them, and giving grain to their families. One of Daru's acquaintances show up to his isolated schoolhouse to warn him about rising tensions between the Algerian resistance and the French regime. The following morning, Balducci, a French gendarme and friend to Daru, brings an Arab prisoner (who we find out is called Mohamed later on) to Daru's schoolhouse. Balducci informs Daru that he must take this prisoner to the nearby town, Tinguit, and hand him over to the police department over there. He claims that he is unable to due to there being a lack of forces to prevent a potential uprising in the town of El Ameur. Daru is displeased with the orders being given to him and outright refuses to comply. Despite Mohamed having killed his cousin over the theft of grain, Daru insists that it is out of the question for him to take the man to the authorities as they will most probably sentence him to death without much deliberation. Balducci, frustrated, tells Daru that French authorities already have an eye on him due to his friendliness with the locals. He then starts his trip back to El Ameur, leaving the prisoner and his fate in the hands of Daru. After sharing a meal together, Daru sets up a bed for Mohamed, ensuring he is treated like a regular guest. At night, Mohamed falls sick prompting Daru to tend to him. This helps ease the tension and grow trust between the two men. The next morning, Daru is suddenly faced by a group of men in horses demanding he hand over their cousin. The situation quickly escalates and Daru is forced to use a firearm to fend them off. After shooting one of their horses, the men disperse and flee whilst promising revenge. After the situation cools down, Daru heatedly confronts Mohamed, blaming him for the events that had just taken place. Mohamed in turn asks Daru to take him to the authorities in Tinguit, to which Daru responds to by telling him to go by himself. Mohamed reluctantly goes through with this, only to be met by Daru quickly having a change of heart and agreeing to take the trip with him... The movie was well received by the critics. According to Manohla Dargis of The New York Times, "Camus sets the movie's initial course, but Mr. Oelhoffen resolutely steers it home with political context, historical hindsight, an unambiguous moral imperative and a pair of well-matched performances." (via Wikipedia) This film is based on "The Guest", a short story by Albert Camus with a focus on existentialism. Albert Camus is one of my favourite authors, so it was a given to see this film. We get great acting from Viggo Mortensen and Reda Kateb, magnificent landscapes, several themes like moral, death, life, existentialism and also issues raised by the political situation in French North Africa at that time the novel was written. At the same time, I think that "Far From Men" lack a bit in the emotional cinematic approach as I wasn´t moved as much as I hoped despite a touching storyline. Still, "Far From Men" is worth to see. Trivia: "Far from Men" was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 71st Venice International Film Festival. It was screened in the Special Presentations section of the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/23/23 Full Review Audience Member I recently watched this for the first time and really enjoyed it. There's nice character development and good cinematography. The Atlas Mts are beautiful in their ruggedness. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member I loved this film, so gripping and emotional without being sentimental. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Good storytelling. Movie held my interest in spite of the primitive cultural behavior present in Algeria of 1954. I don't mean a primitive war, I mean the whole I-killed-my-thieving-cousin-so-my-cousin-must-kill-me-so-my-brother-must-kill-my-cousin honor system. It's ridiculous and embarrassing to this part of the world, but perhaps that's no longer the case. Viggo M dominates the screen while the unusual landscape of Algeria makes for an engaging backdrop. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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