Rent Rebellion (2011)

excellent film - Rebellion review by si

Fast moving . excellent cinematography. Great cast.great production. Highly recommend. The fact it is French dialogue really isn't an issue here .subtitles are more than adequate.

An excellent political drama focused on the French territory of New Caledonia - Rebellion review by Philip in Paradiso

'Rebellion' (in French: 'L'Ordre et la Morale') is a 2011 French historical film and political drama directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, who also stars in the lead role. It is based on true events that took place in the French overseas territory of New Caledonia, in the Pacific, in 1988 (it was filmed in Tahiti, in French Polynesia). The movie presents a dramatized version of the hostage taking that took place at the Ouvéa cave: 4 policemen (gendarmes) were murdered by Kanak separatists and 30 more were taken hostage. The Kanaks are the indigenous, Melanesian population of New Caledonia, and there has been discontent with French rule for many years among them. In the face of this major crisis in the territory, the French government sent out the élite police unit known as GIGN, made up of highly trained gendarmes, to go and deal with the situation. The GIGN unit flies in from France, headed by Captain Philippe Legorjus (Mathieu Kassovitz): he wants to negotiate with the group's leader, Alphonse Dianou, and only use force to free the hostages as a last resort. In parallel, the French authorities deploy 300 French troops, who are ready to intervene and crush the attempted separatist uprising.

The film is quite subtle in that it shows the interplay between military leaders and the gendarmerie officers, whose approach is different and less brutal; also, it puts in perspective the role of officials and politicians, and how the military and police personnel on the ground find themselves under pressure to get results quickly. The Kanaks, meanwhile, unwittingly risk becoming pawns in a game that is bigger than they are. It should be pointed out that what happened in 1988 has never been clarified fully and remains controversial in France and New Caledonia. It would appear that the movie has taken on board the interpretation of events put forward by Captain P Legorjus once the drama had come to its conclusion: this interpretation is disputed in many quarters in mainland France, but also in New Caledonia, it would appear.

Having said all this, it is an excellent film, in the great French tradition of political thrillers with plots and sub-plots, when all is not what it seems. There is no gratuitous and glorified violence in the film: it feels realistic and very real. It is no surprise it caused great controversy in France, when it came out: as denunciations of colonialism and neo-colonialism go, this is hard-hitting, explicit and graphic.