L’Argent

Composite Score: 85.7

Starring: Christian Patey, Sylvie Van den Elsen, Michel Briguet, Vincent Risterucci, Caroline Lang, Béatrice Tabourin, Didier Baussy, Marc Ernest Fourneau, and Claude Cler

Director: Robert Bresson

Writer: Robert Bresson

Genres: Crime, Drama

MPAA Rating: Not Rated

Box Office: N/A

Why should you Watch This Film?

                L’Argent is Robert Bresson’s loose film adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s novella The Forged Coupon, which follows the events that unfold after a boy spends a counterfeit 500 franc note in a jewelry store. The film stars Christian Patey as the unfortunate victim Yvon Targe, Béatrice Tabourin as the unwitting cashier, Vincent Risterucci as the unscrupulous Lucien, and Marc Ernest Fourneau as the initial spender Norbert. Bresson’s film explores the nature of crime, punishment, victimhood, vengeance, and poverty, spinning a tragic tale of the fall of a simple working-class man into a life of violent crime. Its efficient but poignant storytelling have made it one of the hallmarks of Bresson’s filmography.

Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?

                The biggest knock against L’Argent comes in the form of that efficiency, which makes it a film that will inevitably leave some viewers too lost to follow the surprisingly complex plot for a film under ninety minutes. It moves at a rapid pace, trusting its audience to follow along and read between the lines at every turn – an admirable trust that unfortunately keeps this film from being equally accessible to all viewers. I love the way that it moves, but I also pictured watching it with certain of my friends whose inferential interpretations are not necessarily always on point and realized that it might not be a film for everyone – at least not right out of the gate. If you’ve done a watch-along with me on this blog, you should be totally fine giving this one a go, though.

So wait, why should you Watch This Film?

                For others, the quick pacing of the story and the trust its script places in its audience make it the great film that it has come to be recognized as. I tend to land more in that camp. The performances are solid, particularly the complex portrayal of the devolution of a man by Patey in the leading role. But for me, the true highlights of the film come in its examination of crime and its causes and victims and in the way that the story gets told (and not told) on the screen. Bresson’s quick cuts from scene to scene, implying so much action between moments, makes for a brilliantly paced film that keeps you gripped so long as you’re able to follow along. It almost is like reading an excellent piece of literature in that way, as the film allows you to imagine just as much as it shows you, and, while it might not be for everyone, it’s definitely for me.

                Similarly, the themes underneath the quick-moving story work wonders in keeping your mind racing as the plot unfolds. The injustices done to Yvon by Lucien, the shopkeepers, and the legal system itself create outrage and invite you to feel that frustration. Then, as you think more about it, you realize that the actual root of this particular evil goes back to Norbert owing money to a peer at school and not getting enough allowance from his father to pay it off, resulting in the prep-school boy and his friend spending the counterfeit bill at the shop to make change. So, you find that money and those who have it are the root of this particular injustice. At the same time, Yvon’s devolution eventually hinges more on a plot of revenge and wanton violence than in seeking to right the injustices he’s faced, and we’re forced to reckon more with human nature than just the nature of money and wealth. This turn in Yvon juxtaposed against the self-confident and “awakened” crime spree of Lucien offers an even more chilling take on crime – that we are all just one desperate opportunity away from lives of crime ourselves.

                L’Argent is a masterpiece of well-paced storytelling and engrossing themes that will keep you hooked and thinking long after it has come to its tragic and abrupt end, more than earning itself a place among the greats in the process. Its quick pacing and the trust it places in its audience might be too unfamiliar for some audiences who prefer to not have to think as much when watching a film, but those who are up to the task will find themselves fully rewarded with a profound examination of justice, inequality, and human nature. You can currently stream this film on Max if you’d like to give it a shot in the coming days.