White Material
Isabelle Huppert as a coffee planter caught in a civil war, filmed in Bamum country
- Directed by :
- Claire Denis
- Genre :
- Fiction (drama)
The story
In an African country that is never named, Maria refuses to leave the family coffee plantation as civil war breaks out. She insists on bringing in one last harvest, between an unstable son and an ex-husband out of his depth, and shelters a wounded rebel leader. The army eventually crushes the rebellion on the plantation.
Why it matters
Claire Denis returned to Cameroon twenty years after Chocolat, with a screenplay co-written with Marie NDiaye. The film competed at the 2009 Venice Film Festival. It was ranked 97th among the best films since 2000 in a BBC poll (2016) and 15th by The New York Times (2017).
Filming
Foumban and the Noun department (West Region).
Awards and selections
- Official competition, Venice Film Festival 2009 (premiere on 6 September 2009)
- Among the eight films shortlisted for the 2010 Louis Delluc Prize
- 97th in the BBC poll of the greatest films since 2000 (2016)
Cast
- Isabelle Huppert — Maria Vial, the planter
- Christopher Lambert — André Vial, the ex-husband
- Nicolas Duvauchelle — Manuel, the son
- Isaach de Bankolé — the Boxer, a rebel leader
- William Nadylam — the mayor
What sources disagree on
The running time varies between sources: 102 or 106 minutes.