Based on a short story by Albert Camus, Far From Men (2015; Loin des hommes) focuses on the inevitability of choice and of having to choose a side, particularly with its setting being the Algiers conflict in French-colonised North Africa during the 1950s. A former war veteran from World War 2, Daru (Viggo Mortensen) lives by himself in isolation, a small house within a sandy clearing surrounded by mountains where he runs a school, teaching the young Arab children from nearby farms and villages how to read French. As a reserve officer though, Daru is charged to escort a prisoner, Mohammed (Reda Kateb), who has confessed to murdering his cousin, to be judged by a French court. Initially resistant, Daru eventually sees that Mohammed is ill, provides him care and soon realises he can’t stay, not when a particular tribe wants revenge. So, the film develops into a road movie with the two of them walking a great distance together. All the while, fighting continues between the Algerian rebels and the French military, as well as those related to Mohammed’s cousin who want to murder him. This is a measured, satisfying tale as Daru and Mohammed learn more about each other, the reasons for where they are being more complex and grounded than on first appearances. While there is violence in the film, it is taken seriously, particularly with Daru, a war veteran, who wants nothing to do with killing or murder. Mortensen and Kateb are fantastic in their roles, giving a rounded sense of their characters’ burgeoning friendship in the face of all this violence. Aided by atmospheric cinematography and the plaintive score by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, Far From Men is directed by David Oelhoffen as a moral realisation of the sides that need to be taken – whether for one’s own sense of principles or in the face of other’s lack of principles. Available to stream on SBS On Demand. Recommended.
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