Line #16 Film/BeauTravail


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/beau_travail_poster.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:''"Maybe freedom begins with remorse."'']]
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4	->''"He said he was a man without ideals,''
5	->''a soldier without ambition.''
6	->''I admired him without knowing why.''
7	->''He knew I was a perfect Legionnaire,''
8	->''and he didn't give a damn."''
9	-->-- '''Galoup''' on his Commandant, Bruno
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11	''Beau Travail'' (French for "good work") is a 1999 French film directed and co-written by Creator/ClaireDenis and loosely based on the novel ''Literature/BillyBudd''.
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13	The film centers on the master sergeant Galoup (played by Creator/DenisLavant) recalling via voiceover his memories of being stationed in Djibouti with a group of Foreign French Legion soldiers. As the soldiers train diligently in the harsh elements, one of the new recruits under his command -- the promising young Gilles Sentain (played by Gregoire Colin) -- catches Galoup's eye, and wins over the whole group with his strong work ethic and enigmatic personality. Galoup struggles to make sense of what Sentain means to him, whether through a perceived [[GreenEyedMonster envy-driven]] rivalry, or [[AmbiguouslyGay another kind of connection]]...
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15	The film is oft regarded by critics as one of the greatest films of all time and is no. 7 on the 2022 Sight and Sound Critics' Poll.
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17	!!''Beau Travail'' provides examples of:
18	* AFatherToHisMen: Mostly Bruno towards Galoup, but also to a lesser extent Galoup towards his men.
19	* AmbiguouslyGay:
20	** One of the driving questions of the film is whether or not Galoup's feelings toward Sentain cross over into romantic, especially considering he already has a girlfriend named Rahel but is continuously drawn to him.
21	** It's also mentioned that Bruno has been dogged by unspecified "rumors," implying this about him as well.
22	* BatmanGambit: Galoup [[spoiler:gives a legionnaire a brutal punishment so that Sentain will show compassion, therefore provoking him into striking back against Galoup.]]
23	* BeautyEqualsGoodness: Galoup regards the beauty and precision of military exercises to be a mark of their quality as a soldier, which is what sparks his [[GreenEyedMonster envy]] in Sentain.
24	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Ultimately unable to confront his feelings for Sentain, Galoup projects his inner turmoil onto him and sets out to "destroy" him by deliberately getting him lost in the desert. While Galoup and his men presume Sentain dead, he's actually narrowly rescued by a group of tribespeople, and we see him slowly being nursed back to health. Regardless, this move costs Galoup his position in the Foreign Legion, and to him it means he has lost everything; from the last we see of him, his suicide is heavily implied. However, the last image we see of him, detailed in GainaxEnding below, could represent him finally finding a way to release his guilt and repressed emotions.]]
25	* TheChainsOfCommanding: Galoup feels this in the "present day".
26	* DisproportionateRetribution: Galoup [[spoiler:orders a legionnaire who simply went off to piss to dig a hole in the desert until his hands bleed.]]
27	* DrivenByEnvy: Galoup becomes jealous of both Bruno and Sentain for how unanimously his men seem to like them.
28	* GainaxEnding: [[spoiler:Galoup makes his bed and lies in it, looking forlorn and holding a gun. It's heavily implied that he's about to commit suicide...and then the end credits show him doing a chaotic freestyle dance number on a club floor. Whether it's a DyingDream, took place sometime in the past, or suggests that Galoup didn't kill himself after all is never explained.]]
29	* GreenEyedMonster: Galoup, increasingly towards the end of the film.
30	* IDidWhatIHadToDo: Galoup's excuse for [[spoiler:effectively sending Sentain to his death]].
31	* LargeAndInCharge: The Commandant Bruno.
32	* MiseryBuildsCharacter: All the soldiers to a varying degree believe this given their willingness to the harsh military exercises, until Galoup pushes it to far by [[spoiler:ordering a man who went for a wee on duty to dig a hole in the rocky desert until his hands start bleeding.]]
33	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Galoup in the "present day", likely for being [[spoiler:CourtMartialed and having sent Sentain to his death.]]
34	* TheQuietOne: Sentain has an aspect of this in his character. It probably enforces Galoup's perception of strength in him and his subsequent [[GreenEyedMonster Envy]].
35	* RatedMForManly: This film breathes masculinity, and it's perhaps the central theme.
36	* SceneryPorn: The arid, salty landscape of Djibouti, which is contrasted with mountain planes and the sea.
37	* SilenceIsGolden: A large portion of the film goes by without dialogue, instead focusing on its pristine settings and the minute expressions of characters, which has largely led to the film's reputation as a tone poem.
38	* TantrumThrowing: At one point, Galoup furiously throws his jacket to the ground in a fit of jealousy over Sentain.
39	* TrainingFromHell: Training in the harsh desert and being forced to endure the harsh sun. Although it must be said that all the soldiers take it on board, likely because they believe that MiseryBuildsCharacter.
40	* WarriorPoet: Galoup, who sees military exercises almost as a form of ballet and who aspires poetic qualities to disciplined and strong soldiers.
41	* WeAreStrugglingTogether: Galoup vs. his men towards the end of the film.
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Context Film / BeauTravail