For his directorial debut, Abdel Raouf Dafri tackles the Algerian War. Without taking sides or offering a hero to identify with, he chooses to focus on the dirty side of this war and the madness engendered by these conflicts.
There are plenty of films about the Algerian War. But treated this way, it is rare. “Qu’un sang impur” recounts the violence of the conflicts during the Algerian War (1954-1962). The violence between Algerians and French, of course, but also that among Algerians and among the French.
For his first film, Abdel Raouf Dafri, a respected screenwriter and award winner for “A Prophet,” takes the risk of not choosing a side between Algerians and French. All have committed atrocities. All have blood on their hands. The dual-nationality filmmaker doesn’t intend to exonerate either side.
To address his subject, the film follows Colonel Breitner, a veteran of the Indochina War (1946-1954), played by Belgian actor Johan Heldenbergh, launched on a suicide mission to find Colonel Delignières, who is missing behind enemy lines. The latter is portrayed by the always excellent Olivier Gourmet, the highlight of a mostly unknown yet high-caliber cast composed of Lyna Khoudri (Papicha), Steve Tientcheu (Les Misérables), and Salim Kechiouche (Mektoub, My Love).
A “Apocalypse Now” French Version
While the film doesn’t choose sides between the protagonists, it doesn’t hesitate to show the cruelty of each. The action takes place in 1960, surely the most violent year of the conflict, diving straight into the heart of the matter without sparing anyone. The French officers send soldiers into minefields and execute those who refuse to kill children. Not to mention the torture of opponents. Torture is also practiced by the Algerians, whose victims are left on the road to threaten the enemy. Some citizens, not engaged in the conflict, act like scavengers in the ruins while killing survivors.
Like the main character, traumatized by the Indochina War, the viewer is thrust into this journey into the madness of men. Brutal and uncompromising, “Qu’un sang impur” is a trial to withstand, given its disturbing violence.
In the midst of a period of memorial politics advocated by President Emmanuel Macron, the film reminds us of the stain in history that this Algerian War represents.
More than the cruelty of the images, Abdel Raouf Dafri focuses on the always very contemporary questions of identity. Without overemphasizing, he leads us to reflect on who we are and what we fight for.
What makes us belong to a country.
Paul Guianvarc’h
