“Rouge,” a French film, is inspired by a real situation of industrial pollution through “red mud” discharged by an alumina plant, which benefited (or benefits?) from political complicity to dump toxic waste with impunity in a natural park.
Nevertheless, the “deeper” subject of the second film by actor-director Farid Bentoumi (after “Good Luck Algeria” in 2016) is more singular, perhaps more interesting than denouncing the misdeeds of capitalism, since it is precisely “betrayal” that interests Bentoumi. For while everyone will agree to condemn the malpractice of a company that prioritizes financial results over environmental respect and the health of its staff, it is much more difficult to decide when revealing the “truth” about these malpractices more or less directly amounts to “betraying” all those dear to us. Thus, let us repeat, the real dilemma of the “whistleblower” is condemning themselves to becoming a pariah in society, but also an “enemy” to their own.
The entire first part of the film follows the gradual discovery of the systematic lies that “protected jobs,” meaning in fact the company, by a young nurse who takes a position in the plant where her father worked all his life.
Sami Bouajila is perfect, as almost always, and there is genuine chemistry between Zita Hanrot (“School Life,” “Paul Sanchez Has Come Back!”) and him. Even though this first part has a somewhat demonstrative aspect, it reminds us of truths that are uncomfortable to mention, and it honestly explains why making “just” decisions is most often difficult.
It is when “Rouge” introduces the somewhat stereotypical characters of the journalist, then the eco-activists, before trying to conclude in a thriller-like atmosphere, that Bentoumi’s film paradoxically becomes much less interesting: not bad, no, because the script unfolds in a solid manner and never overdoes it, just too predictable.
However, this is not a sufficient reason not to see this courageous film, which wisely asks more questions than it provides answers.
