A Prophet

Serious face now.

Back in the world of morose French cinema, we have A Prophet. The tale of a
young lad sent to prison for an unspecified violent crime, who is inexorably
drawn into a life of organised crime. We see him progress from victim to stooge
to lackey to player to kingpin over the course of a six year sentence.

The intent of the film is to show us, I think, the potentially criminalising
effect of incarceration, as we see someone progress from being a redeemable
thug to a genuine criminal.

It's not a pretty film to watch, being painted in a palette of concrete greys
punctuated only by blood and the pretty appalling state of French leisurewear.
It's well written in that every character is ambiguous to a greater or lesser
extent, and the performances are pretty excellent.

It's had a lot of praise and even a little oscar buzz, but I don't know about
that. It's confused and obscure at times, as French cinema often can be, and
sometimes I think it crosses the line between not doing all your thinking for
you, and being deliberately obtuse. I also feel that the second half of the
film doesn't really live up to the first.

Still, overall, I'd highly recommend it if you're willing to be patient.