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May 24, 2011 Web Exclusive By Chris Tinkham

Near the beginning of French auteur Claire Denis’ latest feature film, White Material, a man from the French army shouts down from a helicopter circling over a barren road, urging Frenchwoman Maria Vial (Isabelle Huppert) to vacate the area for her own safety. Maria lives prosperously, harvesting coffee on a plantation in an unnamed region of contemporary Africa that is on the verge of civil war. The French army is pulling out, and local rebels are purging Europeans, the “white material,” from the land. But, as the copter’s rotor blows dust in Maria’s face, she gestures an “up yours” skyward, in defiance of the men trying to help her. Small survival kits subsequently rain from the sky.

Against life-preserving logic and reason, Maria is tied to the land and determined not to flee, even though she married into the property and does not own it. Her father-in-law (Michel Subor) is the proprietor, and while her ex-husband (Christopher Lambert) and son (Nicolas Duvauchelle) also live on the plantation, they do not share her attachment to it. She manages operations as if the land were her own, but as she inexplicably deflects obvious, mounting dangers, her sense of rightful inhabitance becomes pathological. After her workers quit on her for their own well being, she goes in search of more desperate men to hire for the harvest. She pays gun-toting rebels a handsome toll to allow her to drive the roads. And her son, a young man, is nearly killed by a pair of armed children who invade the plantation looking to wreak havoc. Still, Maria fails to see how digging in will bring nothing good, not only to herself, but to those around her.

In some ways, Maria’s doggedness is reminiscent of Gong Li’s title character in Zhang Yimou’s The Story of Qiu Ju. But, while that much younger character was indoctrinated into a fatalistic world of injustice, Maria’s naiveté to history and race relations is baffling. At one point, she gives shelter to the wounded figurehead of the rebellion, a man referred to as the Boxer (Isaach de Bankolé). It’s a fine testament to Maria’s humanity that she can see beyond their conflicting interests to treat the Boxer with dignity, but it’s not clear if she indeed does recognize what the rebels’ interests are, and why the banishment of whites is a byproduct of their opposition to the government. The radio is a source of information for the characters in the film, but has Maria ever watched television news? What drives her sense of entitlement to this land on which she was not raised? Why would there be nothing for her, as she claims, if she were to return safely to France?

Denis, who co-wrote White Material with novelist Marie NDiaye, isn’t so concerned with such explanations. For Denis, a pink sundress upon Huppert, set against a vast, earthen backdrop, speaks as much as dialogue, which has been especially sparse in her recent films. As is evident while watching the illuminating special features on this release, Denis is a sculptor who chips away pieces that most other filmmakers would think essential. She alludes to extracted elements in a special feature interview—Criterion conducted exclusive interviews with Denis, Huppert and de Bankolé—and the sole deleted scene included as an extra would have helped to tie up a couple of the film’s loose ends. In de Bankolé‘s charming interview, where his smiles and laughter counter his onscreen stoicism, he reveals background on the Boxer that also, seemingly, would have given the film more definition.

White Material‘s ending, though not far removed from the climaxes of some of Denis’ previous films, will perplex a number of viewers. Huppert’s interview sheds some light on it, and, together with the other interviews, renders the film less intangible. Still, as fierce and magnetic as Huppert is in the film, her character remains a bewildering enigma.

Other special feature highlights include Denis discussing Tindersticks’ work on the soundtrack and how production commenced without any lights available to the crew. Also included is a ragged doc shot by Denis when she brought White Material to the Ecrans Noirs Film Festival in Cameroon. White Material was filmed in Cameroon, where Denis also shot her first feature, Chocolat (1988). (www.criterion.com)

Author rating: 7/10