Movie Review: A Prophet (Un prophète)

The story of A Prophet is a fairly common one: A scared young man, who’s been in trouble his whole life, gets incarcerated for an insignificant crime and gets trapped in a system that really teaches him how to be a criminal. It traces the evolution of an illiterate French-Arab prisoner who uses his time in prison to learn how to read and write, add and subtract. What sets this movie apart from the others is that it delves a little deeper into prison culture. Nothing we haven’t seen before but it’s simply a closer look; how the laundry works and how the bread is passed around, the classroom and textbooks that are used. When we are provided with this type of material, we tend to look harder and it makes the movie more interesting. Malik El Djebena (Tahar Rahim - a newcomer!) is a disheveled, frightened, nervous young Muslim who becomes an errand boy behind bars for a Corsican mob boss (César). As he takes on more responsibility and advances his criminal career, Jacques Audiard, the director, focuses on the mechanics of prison life as well as how the not so innocent, but inexperienced, Malik responds to his changing status. It is his inexperience that provides the constant tension that keeps this film so intense. A Prophet also shows us Maliks’ reaction to his first plane ride, his first view of the ocean and the feeling of sand under his feet. This is as much a coming-of-age picture as it is an object lesson in how a poor, lost kid finds his place in the criminal world. Audiard does not neglect the blood and guts. We witness plenty of both, right from the start. The movie kicks into high gear early, when Malik is coerced into assassinating a snitch. This act of violence will haunt him and fundamentally, change him. When all is said and done, this is the essence of the movie. What happens to us when we are forced to do something that goes against our nature? A Prophet is a rare film about a young man, who is a survivor and prison becomes his proving ground. Tahar Rahim does a fantastic job conveying the innocents of this 19 year old even while he commits acts of brutality. The movie is down and dirty and not for the faint of heart, trust me. It is a French language, subtitled movie that is not always easy to follow. My one complaint (and pet peeve with so many movies), it’s too long. It is well over 2 hours. Fifteen minutes shaved off of this film and it would be better. If you can find it, see it.

p.s. A Prophet won The Grand Prix last year at The Cannes Film Festival and it is one of the nominees for Best Foreign Language Film at this years Academy Awards. It should win.