Review of White Material (2010) by Adam S — 14 Apr 2011

White Material is a loose (yet complex), non-linear narrative from French director Claire Denis about French colonials living on a coffee plantation in an un-named African nation that is on the verge of breaking-out into a violent and bloody civil war (making the French VERY un-welcome).

The loose narrative-style of White Material is what makes the film rather complex as it can be difficult to initially follow even though at it's core is a simple story of a stubborn woman (played quite well by an aloof and un-phased French treasure, Isabelle Huppert [I Heart Huckabee's, 8 Women, The Piano Teacher).

The film has its fair-share of flaws and I don't think it reaches the level of importance Denis was hoping for ... the chief reason for this is that none (I'll repeat: NONE) of the characters are likable.

Film with subject matter this heady needs a character to follow and/or embrace; but with Huppert's character, Maria Vial, stubbornly ignoring the French military's repeated pleas for her to pack-up and move her family to safety (which would probably be a return to France as this new homeland is rejecting French citizens and French rule) -- all because she wants her coffee harvested in time to earn a profit -- it is difficult to root for any of the characters in White Material.

What Vial neglects to comprehend is that if her family is/was killed by some radical extremists; that money from the harvest is pointless. The viewer has put these two points together relatively early-on while watching White Material and so it becomes hard to accept Vial's actions as brave .

.. when that is the furthest thing from her mind. Vial isn't necessarily a shallow, vile character ... she just simply isn't going to endear anybody to her. I enjoyed how White Material fell into place and how it painted a fleeting/dying portrait of an oblivious, close-minded Colonialist mindset -- the title of the film refers to ALL things the white population BELIEVED to be theirs although they had actually simply taken it and everything else from the natives decades before; I just wish there was a better set of characters to follow (and this could have been the film's intention all along but with nothing to relate our characters to it can be a labored watch).

White Material fail(s) on some levels while also getting some things absolutely correct. It is a glimpse of a time, just not really a slice of life.