Photograph courtesy La Biennale di
Venezia
Venice 71: Film Festival – Loin des Hommes – David
Oelhoffen. Loin
des Hommes directed
by David Oelhoffen stars Viggo Mortensen and Reda Kateb. Algeria,
1954. While the rebellion rumbles in the valley, two very different men thrown
together by a world in turmoil, are forced to flee together across the Atlas
mountains. In the midst of an icy winter, Daru, the reclusive teacher, has to
escort Mohamed, a villager accused of murder. Pursued by horsemen seeking summary
justice and vengeful settlers, the two men decide to affront the unknown.
Together, they fight to gain their freedom.
Photograph ASAC courtesy La
Biennale di Venezia
Loin des Hommes. Director’s
Statement. “From my very first reading of Camus’ short story L’hote, I
visualized a western. Admittedly, an unconventional western, being steeped in
European history and set against the backdrop of the North African highlands,
but a western all the same. True to the codes, there are colonizers and the
colonized, a prisoner to be escorted and a plot that spirals into violence. A collision
between two systems of law is at the heart of the story and its characters. We
bear witness to two cultures and two moralities forced into coexistence by
history. I had dreamed of bringing Viggo Mortensen on board; his singularity
made him the perfect fit for the role. Reda Kateb, mysterious, opaque and
earthy, provided a perfect counterpoint. The desert landscape takes on the role
of an additional character in the story. Basking in the radiant North African
light, it was a beautiful but unpredictable companion for the film.”
Above. Reda Kateb, David Oelhoffen
and Viggo Mortensen.
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