April 1988, Ouvéa Island, New Caledonia. 30 gendarmes are taken hostage by a group of Kanak freedom fighters. 300 soldiers are sent from France to re-establish order. 2 men confront each other: Philippe Legorjus, chief of the terrorist squad, and Alphonse Dianou, head of the kidnappers. Through their shared values, they will attempt to make discussion triumph. But, in the middle of a presidential election, when the stakes are political, order isn't always dictated by morality. A violent and troubling epic that marks the return of Mathieu Kassovitz in front and behind the camera.
Matthieu Kassovitz, who made a big splash with his 1995 film La Haine, returns with a new film based on a real event that took place in 1988 in New Caledonia, France’s overseas territory in the Pacific. Gendarmerie chief Philippe Legorjus is sent with his men to Ouvéa to negotiate with Kanak separatists holding hostages. However, there is no ground for negotiation—the French army has already taken a combat stance. Time is running out, as elections are near and the mainland wants quick results.
This ever-intense uprising is both a gripping action film and a political drama. Kassovitz not only wrote and directed the film but also stars in the lead role. It portrays the separatists’ struggle for freedom alongside the politicians’ fight for power... A highly sensitive topic!
The result is a compact and realistic film—cinematically, politically and humanely.