A Prophet

This film is probably the best I've seen this year, Audiard shows a mastery of the medium that is hardly seen in British, and American, filmmakers. The film itself is very cerebral, it is difficult to have any emotional sympathy to the main character, Malik, or, indeed, to any of the other characters in it. A set of nastier characters like this lot  has rarely been seen in cinema, certainly not in American or British cinema, as far as I know. I do not pretent not even for one second to know what Audiard intended to do with this film (I know that he has indicated that he only makes films, not sociological treatises, or something on those lines), however, I could not stop thinking that this story could well be a metaphor for a runaway capitalist society, with dealings and counter dealing, and every body crossing everybody else, back stabbing: constant movement and tension throughout the whole of the film, the camera handling contributing to the sense of unease that permeated it.

Truly, A Prophet is a great film, a clear demonstration that French filmmakers has not lost the knack for making good stylish thrillers.