Of all their many renowned filmmakers, the French hold a special place in their hearts for Jacques Audiard. A critical darling revered at home, he remains almost entirely unknown in North America. But that is all about to change with A Prophet, a magnificent film of uncompromising power and intelligence. Audiard created his reputation with Sur mes lèvres and the multi-award-winning De battre mon cœur s'est arrêté, but his latest film achieves new heights. This grim story of a young North African who must learn to navigate the uncompromising reality of the French penal system is much more than a prison drama. It speaks eloquently to life well beyond prison walls.
The film begins with the imprisonment of nineteen-year-old Malik El Djebena. Estranged from the Muslim community, Malik is brutally initiated into prison reality from the get-go. Power is held not by the guards, but by a grizzled Corsican kingpin who has found himself behind bars. Surrounded by a coterie of bodyguards, César is feared by all the prisoners. He calls the shots, having bribed the power structure, and runs the prison from his cell like a personal fiefdom. When Malik arrives, César simply sees him as a potential foot soldier in his private army.
What A Prophet details with compelling incisiveness is the process of Malik's subjection. It is not long before he is embedded in the Corsican's orbit, dutifully carrying out César's orders. Obedience means survival, and Malik is a quick study. Gradually, César learns to rely on the North African, and the young newcomer becomes a member of the clan. But blood flows deep, and when a group of Muslims arrive in prison and begin to threaten César's power, Malik finds himself having to make decisions.
Audiard turns this premise into a probing psychological study of a disinherited, rootless young man, who initially makes choices based on the animal instinct for survival. When that need has been met, however, another set of motivations comes into play. Newcomer Tahar Rahim is brilliant as Malik, as is Niels Arestrup as his mentor and tormentor César. With surgical skill, Audiard dissects the unsentimental education of a young man caught between two worlds, two religions and two value systems.
Jacques Audiard was born in Paris. Originally a film editor, he worked extensively as a screenwriter in the eighties, scripting over a dozen films. He has directed the films
Regarde les hommes tomber (94),
Un Héros très discret (96), which won the award for best screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival,
Sur mes lèvres (01),
De battre mon cœur s'est arrêté (05) and
A Prophet (09), which won the Grand Prix at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival.