After “Indigènes,” which rehabilitated the memory of the North African riflemen enlisted under the French flag during World War II, Rachid Nouchareb dove back into the turbulent waters of Franco-Algerian history by evoking the armed struggle of the FLN.
A subject put ‘Outlaw’ even before its first screening at Cannes, where it was present at the 2010 Festival.
Through the fate of the three brothers, he focuses on the history of the FLN.
How far can one go to serve a cause? Terrorism, family sacrifice, mafia organization, judgment of history—these are the questions that this film, carried by the excellent trio of actors Sami Bouajila, Roschdy Zem, and Jamel Debbouze, addresses.
From its screening in competition at the Cannes Festival, ‘Outlaw’ sparked controversy, particularly because of its handling of the expropriation of peasants in the 1920s and the bloody massacre of Sétif on May 8th, 1945.
Despite these excesses and an overly meticulous direction, this film has the merit of tackling a subject on which France and Algeria have yet to make peace.
