A Prophet (Un Prophete)

I saw the beginning of Saving Private Ryan a few minutes after I had finished watching A Prophet, and I was quickly astonished by the difference. From the very first moment of Spielberg’s film, the audience is told what to think and feel by the music, the slow motion, the graceful tracking shots etc. In A Prophet, you are left alone to decide how to think and feel about the main character’s actions and the issues that arise from them. The film begins as subtly as it ends, and in-between is a slow, seamless development of the character, so masterfully done that years pass without the abruptness that they do in other films. Having seen The Godfather recently, certain comparisons occur to me, but I wouldn’t want to go too far. This is a unique film that stands on its own merits. It would be too simplistic to call it a ‘prison movie’, not only because the ‘leave days’ the main character is granted let us see the outside world, but because the scope of the issues it deals with is wide-ranging. It is difficult to know when and where we are to sympathise with the main character, or anyone else. Events happen but we are not given musical cues or emotional speeches to help us interpret the action. This is a good thing, I should add. A lot of this film’s engaging nature is derived from the brilliant performance of Tahar Rahim. He is innocent, hopeful, anguished, experienced and indomitable within the space of two hours. Jacques Audiard of course is mainly responsible . After the equally good The Beat That My Heart Skipped, he is quickly becoming one of the most interesting directors in the world. The title of the film becomes relevant towards the end, and I would have found it interesting if they’d developed this strain more. Not in a crass spiritual way, in that he actually is a prophet, but some symbolic significance towards it. Although I was initially a little confused by the ending, I realise this is partly the point. Now that he has left prison, its effects on him are not finished. If you want a film that will make you pause and think about it for the next few days or weeks, cause you to reconsider your values, choices and actions in life, this is the one.