Les hommes libres (2011)

Directed by: Ishmael Ferroukhi | 99 minutes | drama, war | Actors: Tahar Rahim, Michael Lonsdale, Mahmud Shalaby, Lubna Azabal, Christopher Buchholz, Farid Larbi, Stéphane Rideau, Jean-Pierre Becker, Youssef Hajdi, Salim Halali, Karim Leklou

The story of ‘Les hommes libres’ centers on the transformation of a young uneducated Algerian factory worker in France who ends up as a resistance fighter. The events take place in Paris in the period 1939-1944. Younes (Tahar Rahim, known for ‘Un prophète) tries to earn enough money with many labor migrants from North Africa through factory work. After that he wants to go back, politics and the ongoing discussion about independence does not interest him at all.

The war puts a stick between the spokes. Younes becomes unemployed, looks for other income and starts black trading. When he is caught in a raid, the police put him on the spot. He suspects that people are provided with false papers in the mosque in Paris and that resistance fighters are being kept hidden. If he is willing to spy in the mosque, he will not be punished and he will be allowed to continue his illegal activities.

The scenario responds to the little-known track record of many Moslems in the French resistance. From the top leadership in the mosque (in the person of Ben Ghabrit, a role by Michael Lonsdale), North African Jews – who were also fluent in Arabic because of their birth there – were in a number of cases given false papers. This would show that they are Mohammedan (and because they are also circumcised, the credibility was high upon inspection).

Initially, Younes cooperates in providing information, but doubts set in when he befriends Arab singer Salim Halali (Mahmoud Shalaby). Salim is also – it will become clear later – of Jewish descent. His collaboration is starting to gnaw at him more and more. In the end he decides to give in and join the resistance against the Germans. This puts his life in increasing danger, because other traitors are also active within the resistance groups. The defection of Younes is therefore betrayed by a ‘mole’.

Although the screenplay broaches a historically interesting subject and also has dramatic potential in abundance, the film unfortunately hardly sticks. Director Ismael Ferroukhi made his debut in 2004 with the small but sublime ‘Le grand voyage’. With his second film ‘Les hommes libres’, partly thanks to a much higher budget, he has constructed a beautiful picture film with a fine soundtrack of Arab-Andalusian music and song.

The characters barely develop in the story. Where Tahir Rahim excelled in ‘Un prophète’, his role in ‘Les hommes libres’ hardly comes to fruition. That is not due to his acting ability, but to the role as he has to play it. The dialogues remain a bit on the surface without too much emotion and the story lacks drama and tension. What the director actually wants to tell us about the role of the North African resistance in France does not come into its own, the storyline limps a bit on two legs.

Result: a film with beautiful pictures and ditto music with a rippling story that is pleasant to look at but fascinating to a lesser extent.