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Costa Gavras, master director of political cinema classics such as Z and MISSING, co-scripted the screenplay for MON COLONEL, a harrowing drama set during Algeria's war of independence against the French. The film charts the inevitable clash between a young, idealistic lieutenant and his steely commanding officer, as the former becomes increasingly reluctant to abide by the demands of a war that blurs the lines between civilian, freedom fighter, and terrorist. Employing a gripping narrative structure that allows the film to unfold partly as a murder mystery, MON COLONEL also squarely grapples with the rationale for torture as the inevitable offshoot of counterinsurgency warfare. Inviting acute and disturbing parallels to the modern-day “war on terror,” the film is anchored by the riveting performance of Olivier Gourmet (stalwart actor of the Dardenne brothers, who co-produced the film), as the military commander who maintains the horrifying courage of his convictions, no matter what. “Gourmet, looking lean and mean, creates a monstrously complex man whose arguments are so firmly stated as to give even the most anti-war viewer pause” (Robert Koehler, Variety ). 14A
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