Set in Algeria, 1954, David Oelhoffen's Far From Men is the story of two very different men who are forced to work together admist the turmoil and death around them. Daru, a French school teacher in a small Algerian village, is forced against his will to transport Albanian man, Mohamed, who is wanted for the murder of his cousin. Forced to journey across the Atlas Mountiains during the Albanian Wars, the two men form an unexpected bond during this tumultuous time. David Oelhoffen's Far From Men is a simple, yet elegant tale that relies heavily on its two lead performances to spin a poignant story about accountability, the touch choices that make up life, and the darkness of war. Shot in a way the accentuates the vastness of the desert, Far From Men creates a setting where behind every mountain and beautiful landscape lies a brooding sense of danger and uncertainty. As these two characters walk through what has essentially become a war zone, with each side, the French & Algerians, fighting for what they believe is rightfully theres, the film captures how ideologies and civic allegences can cause men to do terrible things. Being a French Algerian man, Daru faces existential questions about where he belongs, and in doing so Far From Men really captures the stupidity and absurdity of defining a man by anything but who he is as a man, not his country, race, or religion. Mohamed on the other hand is a man who must feel accountable for his actions, caught in a cycle of revenge that only fuels more death and hatred. This vicious cycle is precisely what makes him want to turn himself in, sacrificing his own life in an attempt to stop the bloodshed and revenge-fueled violence that will burden his younger brothers if "justice" in the form of his execution isn't upheld. Far From Men is beautifully photographed and superbly acted flm that uses a simple narrative to examine the complex nature of ideology and the moral code of men.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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