"Faithful" -- Movie Review

On the opening weekend of Lincoln Center’s French Film Festival, I streamed the historical drama “Faithful” (AKA “De nos frères blessés”).

Synopsis

When an Algerian man fights for his country’s freedom from France, he is imprisoned for allegedly planting a bomb -- but can his Polish wife secure his freedom?

Story

In the 1950’s, Fernand (Vincent Lacoste) met Hélène (Vicky Krieps) at a Paris nightclub.  They could not be more different -- and yet they fell in love.  He is an Arab Algerian in town to have some medical tests conducted; she is a single mother from Poland who moved here to flee the communists in her homeland.  An interesting contrast to Fernand, as she comes to learn, because he is a staunch communist who actively opposes France’s occupation in his country, as well as the French treatment of Arabs.  Eventually, Fernand and Hélène marry; she takes her son and moves to Algiers with her new husband.   

Upon returning to Fernand’s home, Hélène is now able to see firsthand the oppression by the French government as well as their mistreatment of Algeria’s native Arab inhabitants.  Fernand becomes a member of a group dedicated to seek his country’s freedom from the French -- but when he is arrested for planting a bomb at the factory where he works, he is immediately thrown into prison to await trial.  During the trial, it comes out that Fernand placed only one bomb (not the two he was accused of) and that it was set near a deserted warehouse, timed to go off after his fellow factory workers have long gone.  

By the end of the trial, the tribunal’s verdict is that Fernand is guilty and must return to prison where he will await his fate -- a death sentence where he will face the guillotine.  Hélène then frantically meets with Fernand’s public defenders to form a strategy that will at the very least rescue her husband from a certain death -- and hopefully, free him from prison.  Having a connection close to the French government, they decide to go the public relations route -- get articles published about Fernand to make him out to be more of a victim than a traitor.  But with Fernand’s execution date already set, can Hélène rescue him in time?  

Review

One of the things that’s especially interesting about “Faithful” is the fact that most of us aren’t quite so familiar with the history of the French occupation of Algiers, making this movie quite informative.  In retrospect, it is curious that the French colonization of Algiers continued after World War II -- following the Nazi’s occupation of France.  Following a long and bloody war that lasted eight years, Algeria finally won its independence from France, with Algiers winding up as its capital.  Additionally, this film is not only based on true events, but also on real people who experienced this struggle for freedom.  

The main actors appeared to have a real chemistry and the portrayal of their relationship is as gripping as the story itself.  It was a good choice telling this tale as a feature-length film rather than as a documentary because the couple’s love story really draws you in to the bigger issue of the Arab Algerians battling the Christian French in order to earn freedom and equality.  It is also quite uncomfortable to watch, knowing of the social injustices of that period clearly mirror those that occur around the world -- and in particular, here in the United States.  The narrative, however, is told in multiple flashbacks, which can be occasionally confusing.    

Following the viewing, there was an interview with Vincent Lacoste, who played Fernand in  “Faithful”.  Lacoste said that while this is based on the lives of actual people, the film is loosely based on a novel about this period; as a result, when he took the role, he not only read the novel but also did a bit of a deep-dive into historical documents about Fernand and Helene.  He wound up having to do this because most French are not particularly familiar with this period of their country’s history.  Due to the pandemic, “Faithful” has not yet been released in France, so Lacoste is curious as to what the audience reaction will be.