After the success of the masterpiece Days of Glory that was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film in the 2006 Academy Awards, the sequel Outside the Law was made with the hope of being another great success, but unfortunately it does not live up to the previous work at all; seeking success using the same seed did not bear fruit.

The actors who won Best Actor Awards in the Cannes Film Festival for their performances in Days of Glory, the previous work by the same director Rachid Bouchareb, appear again. Three actors that played soldiers in the previous work appear in the sequel with the same names (Messaoud, Abdelkader, Saïd), but this time the three men are brothers from Algeria. The actor who played the slightly quirky Sergeant Martinez in the previous work appears as a French police investigator who chases the three men. One key actor who won an award for Best Actor at Cannes, Samy Naceri as Yassir in the previous work, does not appear. This is probably due to the fact that before and after his appearance in Days of Glory, this actor was found guilty for the possession of cocaine a few times and at last in 2009 he was arrested on charges for assault with a knife.

When these three male actors with different facial features and body types are in the same unit as soldiers, it is believable; but when performing as brothers, it looks weird. The various events that happen to them as soldiers in the same unit are believable, but the things that happen to the three brothers one after another is too much of a coincidence. Furthermore, because this movie depicts a long period of time—from before World War II until 1962—in 2 hours, the movie gives the impression of just scratching the surface instead of digging deeper. After the success of Days of Glory, director Rachid Bouchareb seems to aim more strongly for an entertainment component, throwing in action scenes, to be a financial success. In fact, it felt like this movie was strongly influenced by the legendary Hollywood movie The Godfather. However, these action scenes are lacking something. Even though Hollywood movies may be criticized in various ways, Hollywood hasn’t spent all this time developing action movie techniques for nothing. These action scenes still have a long way to go to achieve a similar level as those in Hollywood.

This movie begins with the land that is owned by the father of the three brothers in an Algerian village being confiscated by an Algerian man with a connection to a French official. And so the family leaves their home town. The movie itself is fiction, but it draws upon actual historical events such as the Sétif massacre. On May 8, 1945, after Germany surrendered, Algerians in Sétif—where a French military base was located—and neighboring areas demanded independence and performed a demonstration, but the demonstration transformed into a riot when the police intervened and many people were killed in the process of suppression. In the movie, the brothers’ father is killed in this riot, and the second son Abdelkader is arrested and sent to a French prison.

The eldest son Messaoud is dispatched to Vietnam as a soldier of the French military. This movie shows mainly soldiers from French colonies being sent to Vietnam. The First Indochina War was fought by France primarily with people from Morocco, Algeria, Senegal, and other French colonies; the morale was low and there was a strong anti-war feeling. Eventually, France withdrew from Vietnam after the Geneva Accords in 1954.

The third son Saïd kills the Algerian landlord who stole his family’s land; he then goes with his mother to Paris where his older brother is imprisoned and devotes himself to money-making by opening a bar and boxing gym. Before long, the eldest brother returns from Vietnam, the second son is released, and the family finally reunites in Lance.

The second son Abdelkader and the eldest son Messaoud participate in the Algerian National Liberation Front (FLN) in Paris. The two assassinate government officials by using Messaoud’s former war comrade—an Algerian that Messaoud had met in the World War II resistance movement and Vietnam War, now working within the French government. As the FLN movement becomes more radical, the actions of the two men become more violent.

It is said that director Rachid Bouchareb decided to make a sequel because a lot of people asked him what happened afterwards to the main characters from his hit Days of Glory. It is not clear whether this movie approves or disapproves of the violence of FLN. I think he probably disapproves, but it is very difficult to keep watching these violent scenes. Also, I cannot see hope for Algeria’s future in this movie. It is regretful that the long-awaited sequel to the magnificent masterpiece was extremely violent and leaves a dark feeling after watching it. This may reflect the heavy price paid for independence and the sad reality of the current political instability in Algeria it led to. Furthermore, it is said that many people objected to how the contents of this movie are not historically impartial. This movie has received mixed reviews in many ways. This movie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

日本語→

Even for someone who doesn’t know about monasteries, Christianity, Islam, or Algeria, I think this movie is a very powerful and convincing movie. Viewers feel there is more than just religion and politics in this movie.

In the rustic Catholic Notre-Dame de l’Atlas monastery in Algeria, eight French monks and doctors live as an important part of the surrounding community. However, the actions of Islamic extremists begin to affect the nearby area, and a Croatian is murdered in a wasteland less than 20 kilometers away from the monastery. The monastery is drawn into a dispute between Algerian government troops and extremists when several armed extremists break into the monastery on Christmas Eve and demand medical treatment for their injured. When the French government requests that the monks return to France, the monks debate over returning for their own safety, or staying and risk becoming martyrs.

These monks abandoned their assets and decided to leave their families in order to help people in the area and impart the teachings of God. Do those who have abandoned an ordinary life to serve God still wish to avoid death? Naturally, as humans, they have a fear of death. However, since they are giving their own lives to God, they believe they should not waste their lives and should serve God as long as they can. Therefore, remaining here while knowing danger approaches could be a waste of the life God gave them.

On the other hand, some monks think of this Algerian village as their own hometown and are determined to die there. Also, some think that they have not yet accomplished God’s mission given to them and feel they can’t leave yet. Others are unable to decide with conviction so they pray to God to hear God’s voice. However, they do not get an answer from God.

Even though the monks are divided on the question of whether to stay or retreat, no one intends to have the government army troops protect them. God’s voice is the basis for their decisions, and thus they don’t makes decisions based on the politics of either the government troops or the extremists who are killing each other. In the end, the question to be answered is, “When the wolf attacks, does a shepherd desert the sheep and run away?” Even though the villagers are Muslim, the villagers rely on the monks and are thankful for the services they provide. Therefore, the monks are able to gain the conviction that, whatever may happen, their service here was not futile and they are determined to die here in the village. This movie is based on a true story of monks that were executed by decapitation in Algeria in 1996.

North African French colonies Tunisia and Morocco declared their independence in 1956. However, unlike these two countries where the organization of the monarchy was preserved as French protectorates, Algeria was treated as a part of France and there were many Europeans living in Algeria; therefore the public opinion of France voiced strong opposition to the independence of Algeria and the French government did not allow independence. Algerians of European descent wanted to maintain their privileges as Europeans and kept refusing to cooperate with the Berbers and Arabs living in Algeria; therefore the development of a cross-ethnic, moderate independence movement toward a unified nation failed. Algeria underwent the violent Algerian War from 1954 to 1962 before gaining their independence from France and due to this, one million Algerians of European descent escaped to France en masse. The Muslim Algerians who cooperated with France and were not able to take refuge in France were massacred as retribution.

Algeria had a constitution after their independence, adopted neutral political measures, succeeded in rebuilding the economy, and seemed to be proceeding smoothly in the founding of their nation; however, in the late 1980s, inflation worsened, and food shortages and unemployment brought about social unrest. These circumstances were the backdrop for the rise of Islamic doctrine among the youth, and some Islam fundamentalists started armed opposition.

Gaining the support of the unemployed, the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) won the 1990 local elections with more than half of all of the communes; the FIS carried out a strict Islam rule in the communes that they won, implementing policies such as the banning of alcohol, segregation of sexes, and criticism of the Gallicized middleclass that was the majority of Algerian society. As a result of the FIS’s overwhelming victory in the first general election held in 1991, they acquired 80% of the parliamentary seats and invalidated the constitution. Student organizations seeking liberty, women’s organizations, and socialist organizations criticized the actions of the FIS, and military authorities opposing the FIS seized power in a coup d’état the following year in 1992. European nations supported the coup d’état and Mohammed Boudiaf became the chairman of the High Council of State established in January; in March, Boudiaf illegalized and oppressed the FIS and invalidated their election. However, Boudiaf was assassinated that June.

Due to oppression from the government, Islam advocates formed the Armed Islamic Group in 1992, and started acts of terrorism targeting police, military authorities, intellectuals, and liberals. In January of 1994, Zéroual assumed office as a temporary president, but the violence of the terrorism of Islamic organizations increased during Zéroual’s time and Algeria fell into massive chaos. In the 1999 presidential elections, Bouteflika, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, was elected as the first civilian president in 34 years; he proposed disarmament and a peace settlement that gave amnesty to extremists who surrendered, and with this, the civil war started to be resolved. Two right-of-center political parties that supported the president—including the Algerian National Liberation Front—and the Movement of Society for Peace—a moderate Islam political party—formed a three-party coalition government and maintained majority in the May general election. It is said that approximately 200,000 people died in the Algerian Civil War between the government, military, and Islamic fundamentalist groups.

日本語→

There are a great number of war movies, but this movie offers a unique point of view unlike other movies. On the surface, this movie depicts the resistance and victory against the Nazi occupation in France during World War II, but it is not simply the victory of France–“we went, we killed, we won”; it also indirectly depicts other things sprouting at the time—the independence movement in French colonies and the injustice that followed their independence.

The original title—Indigènes—means “indigenous people.” In general, these are people who lived originally on the land, but become a minority by being pushed down by another race that comes and invades, and are put into the bottom social class. American Indians, Aboriginal Australians, and the Ainu in Japan are a few examples. There are many indigenous groups in the North Saharan Africa—the most well-known of which are the Berber people—and many races ruled over them. The Berbers were pastoral people and they were often put in the bottom social class in African society. However, since they were deeply loyal, brave, and weren’t adverse to traveling, many were used as skilled mercenaries by the ruling class. Most Berbers of Algeria and Morocco who were oppressed by Arabs in North Africa felt that France, the colonist country, treated Arabs and Berbers equally, so they thought of themselves as French, believed France was their homeland, and felt ardent patriotism for France. France organized the Free French Forces based on volunteer soldiers from North Africa to shift the balance against Germany. The Free French Forces consisted of Senegal draftees, the French Foreign Legion, Moroccans, Algerians, Tahitians, etc. This movie is the story of the Berbers who volunteered for the Free French Forces and fought bravely without fearing death.

Abdelkader is an educated man and is appointed as the head of the Berber soldiers due to his top performance on the military service examination. He had an ambition to advance in the French military by studying diligently and earning merits from battle. He mediates between soldiers from an impartial standpoint and advocates for solidarity across cultures among the troops. His efforts are completely ignored, though, and a French Algerian is promoted instead of him. Though feeling humiliated, he doesn’t lose his loyalty to the French military.

Sergeant Martinez, just because he is a French Algerian, is promoted and commands the Algerian Arab troops, but he is not very good at leading the troops rationally and easily becomes violent when he is angry. He even admits to himself that Abdelkader’s leadership was superior to his own. Although he is regarded as French, his mother is in fact Arab—something he doesn’t want others to know.

Saïd is from the poorest area among Berbers. His mother would rather stop her son from volunteering and starve to death than receive the cash bonus and pension from dispatching her son with the troops, but his mother can’t keep him from volunteering and he goes to war to protect France because of his genuine patriotic feelings. Sergeant Martinez notices Saïd’s simple-minded, loyal nature that is without ambition, and so treats Saïd favorably.

Yassir, in order to earn the money to pay for his younger brother’s marriage, enlists with his younger brother. He loves his younger brother and he preaches that a man must always be honest and do the right thing.

Messaoud is a talented marksman and is given the special duty of being a sniper by Sergeant Martinez. He dreams of excelling on the battlefield, becoming a hero for his meritorious service, falling in love with a French woman attracted to his fame, marrying her, and settling down in France when the war is over.

Their first mission is to capture a fortress from Germany in Provence in southern France. The Berber unit had to walk in front on the mountain trail, completely exposed to the enemy. While the unit is being fired at by the German army, the French soldiers hiding behind the Berbers figure out where the German soldiers are hiding and start to attack the German soldiers. The battle ends with an overwhelming victory for the French forces, but this is the first experience that makes the Berber soldiers realize that they will be given the most dangerous assignments.

As the war becomes a stalemate and there are orders for the French military to return home, the Berber soldiers are delighted, but the orders to return only apply to French men; soldiers of the Free French Forces are not allowed to return and a pessimistic feeling begins to drift into the unit.

The most difficult order given to the Free French Forces is to do as much damage to the German army as possible until the main French army and American army arrive in order to capture Colmar in Alsace under Nazi occupation. Sergeant Martinez along with another commanding officer of a small unit are assigned to this dangerous mission; the soldiers under his command—Abdelkader, Saïd, Yassir and his younger brother, and Messaoud—also participate in hopes of honor and a reward. However, most of the unit dies from a bomb placed at the entrance to the German-occupied territory and Sergeant Martinez is seriously injured. Yassir, losing his younger brother, grieves that there is no point anymore of him being here; Abdelkader leads the survivors, Saïd, Yassir, and Messaoud, to a village in Alsace and they are welcomed by the villagers. However, in an intense battle with the German army, Saïd tries to protect the seriously injured Sergeant Martinez, but both are killed by the German army; Yassir and Messaoud also die in action.

This is called the Battle at Colmar Pocket. In those days, the Alsace-Lorraine district which contained Colmar was Germany territory and was a key location that guarded the bridge over the Rhine River. After an intense battle, the French and American armies succeeded in forcing the German army to retreat. The Allies had 21,000 casualties while the German army had 38,000. The Allies succeeded in crossing the Rhine River and hereby successfully started a full-scale invasion of German territory.

Abdelkader, the lone survivor, joins the French military in Colmar, but his existence as well as those of his comrades who died are completely ignored. No one thinks about the Berber soldiers that died while the victory of the French unit who only came later is praised.

Soldiers that went to war were guaranteed lifetime pension, and this was one of the motives for volunteering. However, when the struggle for independence in Algeria intensified in 1959, the French government decided to no longer pay the pensions for soldiers from French colonies that participated in the French military. Because Algeria was to eventually become independent from France, the French military did not feel it was necessary to pay money to Algerians of a different country. This movie ends with Abdelkader, 60 years after the battle at Alsace, visiting the gravesite of the soldiers who died in action on this land.

日本語→