Little is known about Nour and Amine, the two young jihadists assigned to sabotage a North African oil refinery in “Divine Wind,” a bare-bones drama from veteran Algerian director Merzak Allouache. The purpose of their mission is unclear, as is the ideology that underpins it and the socioeconomic conditions that led them to this dangerous desert outpost. Allouache’s minimalism extends to the photography, an unadorned black-and-white that keeps the focus on the emotions of his characters rather than any superfluous details that might draw the eye away. Yet this simplicity also spotlights an absence of complexity, not just in the missing political context, but within the hearts of the lonely, desperate warriors who are preparing to die for the cause. Allouache has been a festival fixture since his debut in 1976, but Stateside prospects have been limited — and will likely remain so here.
Rebuking the image of a jihadist as a hardened fighter,...
Rebuking the image of a jihadist as a hardened fighter,...
- 9/26/2018
- by Scott Tobias
- Variety Film + TV
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