The film fidgets menacingly within the no mans land between genresquieter and more esoteric than a standard wartime thriller, too elusive to be a proper horror or sciencefiction feature, and yet far too grounded for the label surreal. Aug 05, 2016 neither heaven nor earth, a new film from french director clement cogitore, often feels like a modern day update of weird war tales. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. A regular collaborator of the dardennes brothers lenfant, the kid with a bike, renier has the natural charisma of a born leader thats fascinating to see undermined by the unique situations he finds himself in. France, 2015, 1h 40min, dcp, in french with english subtitles. Neither heaven nor earth is set in the wakhan district, in eastern. Leguin wrote that war is the opposite of civilization you have one or the other, not both. It was screened in the international critics week section at the 2015 cannes film festival. Winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. The ingenious conceit of neither heaven nor earth, a critical success at cannes previously titled the wakhan front, is to transform the afghan battlefielddust and boredom and jolts of explosive violenceinto the. Neither heaven nor earth is set in the wakhan district, in eastern afghanistan near the pakistan border the film was shot in morocco. Jeremie renier, swann arlaud, marc robert neither heaven nor earth official trailer 1 2016 jeremie renier movie while on a. Most of the directorial flaws and arguably wasted opportunity of the final act of neither heaven nor earth are offset by the unshowy, grounded way in which renier grounds the film.
Clement cogitores strong neither heaven nor earth reminds one of lavventura and about elly in how those films use disappearance as a thematic tool more than an unsolved mystery demanding resolution. Neither heaven nor earth drama, thriller a genredefying debut, neither heaven nor earht is a gripping mashup of lone survivor, the thing, and the blair witch project the hollywood reporter. Unsolvedmystery fans will be happily befuddled by neither. Set among soldiers stationed in afghanistan, near the pakistani border, this virtually actionfree war movie which premiered at cannes last year with the englishlanguage title the wakhan front will frustrate anyone seeking. Neither heaven nor earth letterboxd social film discovery. Neither heaven nor earth a genredefying debut, neither heaven nor earht is a gripping mashup of lone survivor, the thing, and the blair witch project the hollywood reporter.
Neither heaven nor earth mines the middle ground of. Cogitores movie is at once otherworldly and firmly tethered to stark reality. Neither heaven nor earth 2015 is a frenchbelgian film focusing on nato troops in afghanistan, with more than a nod to the ancient history of this part of the world, and to the vagaries of war. It begins as a war film set in afghanistan, and for fiftyfive minutes this is not a bad film at all, quite tense and interesting and the. It tells about french soldiers stationed in the wakhan valley, an arid, remote mountain somewhere in afghanistan, headed by capt. Soldiers mysteriously vanish in neither heaven nor earth. Lean and muscular, with a thoughtful countenance under his blond brush cut, he is a seasoned soldier and a natural commander. Neither heaven nor earth engages the horrors of war.
Antares bonassieu, the hero of clement cogitore s debut feature, neither heaven nor earth, seems like a guy weve met before, at least in other war movies. Originally titled the wakhan front, neither heaven nor earth premiered at the 2015 cannes film festival in the international critics week. Neither heaven nor earth is a good feature without being a great one, a nice idea more than it was wonderfully done. The ingenious conceit of neither heaven nor earth, a critical success at cannes previously titled the wakhan front, is to transform the afghan battlefielddust and boredom and jolts of explosive violenceinto the backdrop for a. Aug 10, 2016 neither heaven nor earth is a case of the inexplicable rendered without forced mysticism or explanation, but rather explored with a clinical dramatic focus that somehow boosts the eeriness. It is a firstrate psychological thriller, and i recommend it highly. Born today most popular celebs most popular celebs celebrity news. Captain bonassieu and his french troops are in afghanistan as part of a nato mission to provide. French army captain antares bonassieu and his squad are assigned to monitor a remote valley of wakhan, afghanistan on the border of pakistan. Jul 05, 2016 originally titled the wakhan front, neither heaven nor earth premiered at the 2015 cannes film festival in the international critics week section. New french cinema week 2019 neither heaven nor earth. Neither heaven nor earth, the feature debut of french filmmaker. A french army captains sanity, and the loyalty of his squad, is tested while on a mysterious surveillance mission in a remote valley. With jeremie renier, swann arlaud, marc robert, kevin azais.
The ingenious conceit of neither heaven nor earth, a critical success at cannes, is to transform the afghan battlefielddust and boredom and jolts of explosive violenceinto the backdrop for a metaphysical thriller. While on a mission in afghanistan, french captain antares bonassieus men start vanishing one by one without explanation. Neither heaven nor earth is an effective, minimalistic metaphysical thriller set in a battlefield of afghanistan from a french visual artistfilmmaker, clement cogitore, in his feature film debut. Neither heaven nor earth is a case of the inexplicable rendered without forced mysticism or explanation, but rather explored with a clinical dramatic focus. Cogitore defines his setting well, focusing on the wind, sun and sand of afghanistan 2014 as a french group of soldiers. Its in this unique setting, a place that inherently feels like purgatory for those stuck there, that cogitore crafts a tense tale of faith and mystery. But the real twist, and perhaps the ultimate fall, comes when bonassieu learns that the taliban has been suspecting him of doing the same. Neither heaven nor earth is a war movie that eschews body count for a more inward crumbling of belief, like a mournful dispatch from the unruly. Unsolvedmystery fans will be happily befuddled by neither heaven. Haunting neither heaven nor earth not to be missed. In neither heaven nor earth, this corruption is partly justified by the brutal uncertainty of not knowing the hour of ones death, but always sensing that its near.
Cogitore defines his setting well, focusing on the wind, sun and sand of afghanistan 2014 as a french group of soldiers keep the fragile peace and plan for departure. Sep 08, 2016 neither heaven nor earth is a war movie that eschews body count for a more inward crumbling of belief, like a mournful dispatch from the unruly realm between faith and certainty. Or, perhaps, its a story about the purity of faith and the need for an adulterated belief in a higher power, as in andrei tarkovskys final film, the sacrifice. A genredefying debut, neither heaven nor earht is a gripping mashup of lone survivor, the thing, and the blair witch project the hollywood reporter. Neither heaven nor earth effectively maintains an eerie, unsettling mood throughout, creating an interesting and compelling juxtaposition to the grounded reality of the doldrum of wartime peacekeeping depicted here. The year is 2014, when the troops in the natoled security. Aug 03, 2016 clement cogitores debut feature, neither heaven nor earth, takes this sentiment to its isolated conclusion through vaguely supernatural means. Neither heaven nor earth is a war movie that eschews body count for a more inward crumbling of belief, like a mournful dispatch from the unruly realm between faith and certainty.
Neither heaven nor earth effectively maintains an eerie, unsettling mood throughout, creating an interesting and compelling juxtaposition to the grounded reality of the doldrum of. Neither heaven nor earth is a case of the inexplicable rendered without forced mysticism or explanation, but rather explored with a clinical dramatic focus that somehow boosts the eeriness. A slow and silent nightmare plays out in allahs land, circa afghanistan 2014. For many, their biggest fear is the unknown, and cogitore plays into that idea. Neither heaven nor earth doesnt reach the heights of picnic at hanging rock, but it does carry over the unnerving feeling of forces at play beyond our understanding. Antares bonassieu, the hero of clement cogitores debut feature, neither heaven nor earth, seems like a guy weve met before, at least in other war movies. Its the perfect response to our current mystery boxera of storytelling. It was screened in the international critics week section at. Directorial debut neither heaven nor earth is a stentorian statement of intent that clement cogitore is a cinematic upstart worthy of attention. Its set in afghanistan where a squad of men led by. Neither heaven nor earth ending explained the earth. War is an uncanny inbetween in cogitores neither heaven nor. Neither heaven nor earth acquired by film movement. The remains official trailer 1 2016 nikki hahn movie duration.
Haunting neither heaven nor earth not to be missed stark. Mar 11, 2016 in neither heaven nor earth, this corruption is partly justified by the brutal uncertainty of not knowing the hour of ones death, but always sensing that its near. Set in a lonely outpost during the afghanistan war, this french production refuses to bend to genre rules. To be fair the movie has tremendous atmosphere, and the acting is very believable both from the french troops cast, and the taliban. Jeremie renier stars as a french army commander who begins to lose the loyalty of his company, as well as his sanity, when. In this suspenseful war film that uses fear of the dark to great effect, a french army contingent operating in afghanistan is beset by mysterious disappearances. Neither heaven nor earth may be responsible, or they both may be, or one or the other. Neither heaven nor earth mines the middle ground of soldiers. It begins as a war film set in afghanistan, and for fiftyfive minutes this is not a bad film at all, quite. War is an uncanny inbetween in cogitores neither heaven. Not necessarily a horror film, nor a true science fiction picture, neither heaven nor earth exists in a strange world that defies genre, which is perfectly fitting for the strange occurrences of the film. Theres a conscience to this film, and if it takes a spooky metaphor to express it, then neither heaven nor earth has landed on a subtly memorable.
Neither heaven nor earth, the feature debut of french filmmaker clement cogitore, falls into the latter category. On the most fundamental level, neither heaven nor earth is an impressive stunt, a horror movie masquerading as a film about the horrors of. Neither heaven nor earth official trailer 1 2016 jeremie renier. Negotiating control of the region between local shepherds and. Aug 05, 2016 with neither heaven nor earth, filmmaker clement cogitore makes his feature directorial debut, and given the control with which his film balances its thematic material and a fittingly somber. It is otherworldly in narrative and visual approach. The film is a highdegreeofdifficulty work, both a war movie and a contemplative drama, both scifiadjacent and grounded firmly in reality. Writerdirector clement cogitoire, for whom this is the first feature, has crafted a tale of. While captain antares jeremie renier initially and understandably blames local villagers for the loss of his men, the real cause could be something supernatural, a force that implies the profound wrongness of these men being on. Theres a conscience to this film, and if it takes a spooky metaphor to express it, then neither heaven nor earth has landed on a subtly memorable one.
1115 1245 75 596 32 379 661 772 1236 1462 140 753 540 187 835 450 499 895 384 489 374 25 1111 1383 1023 913 1316 1288 350 983 728 737 364 629