A Prophet
A Prophet s from France and stars Tahar Rahim as Malik El Djebena, a street level criminal and not even good at that judging from the physical scars he bears. He’s suddenly no longer a juvie and lands a six year stretch in a French maximum security prison which on the surface is remarkably cordial. However there is an underlying power struggle between the dominant Corsicans led by César Luciani (Niels Arestrup) and a growing Muslim population. Being of Arabian/Corsican mix is a hindrance rather than a helpful coincidence for Malik until the Corsicans need to dispatch an Arabic inmate and force Malik to act as assassin. As a reward his stay in prison gets easier although he’s forever haunted by the ghost of his victim. Meantime this illiterate 19 year old proves to be a fast learner and not just through prison rehab, and as the prison political dynamic shifts he uses that momentum to seize power. This film won the jury prize at Cannes and the quality is definitely there but maybe there was an all too real feeling in this country slightly xenophobic when it comes to Middle Eastern immigration. It’s also nominated for Best Foreign Language film at this year’s Oscars but perhaps like so many other such remarkable films should really be competing for best picture.