Unknown soldiers

>> Indigènes tells the forgotten story of Algerian infantrymen who fought for France in World War II

by MARK SLUTSKY

Even after 60 years of cinematic treatment and countless books, it seems that there are still stories from World War II that have yet to be told. Such is the case with the Algerian soldiers who fought for France in the war—that is, until director Rachid Bouchareb’s Indigènes (Days of Glory is the far inferior English title) made a splash at Cannes last year, with the festival’s acting award being split among its ensemble cast. The movie’s success was instrumental in restoring the pensions the French government had withheld from Algerian infantrymen for over 40 years, and it opens here this week.

Indigènes follows a group of Algerians who, for various reasons, enlist in the French army and join the fight in Europe. Baby-faced Saïd (Jamel Debbouze) is looking to escape intense poverty. Yassir (Samy Naceri) wants to raise money for his brother’s wedding. Abdelkader’s (Sami Bouajila) motives are aspirational, as he’s interested in the opportunities the military offers for social advancement and respect. They, along with sharpshooter Messaoud (Roschdy Zem), are led by their sergeant, Roger Martinez (Bernard Blancan), who, despite being a Christian, is still clearly impeded by his North African origins.

The mostly green soldiers make their way through Europe and several bloody battles, and even as they’re laying down their lives for France, they’re treated with disrespect and derision by the rest of the military, a point the movie hammers home again and again.

Not that it’s not a point worth making, or that Indigènes isn’t a story worth telling. It really is, and it’s competently told here, with excellent acting all around. In a lot of ways, though, it’s a pretty conventional war movie (complete with a familiar-feeling cemetery-visiting scene at the end), and Bouchareb’s directing feels a little too plain at times.

Maybe I’m just desensitized after watching Saving Private Ryan and Band of Brothers, but the movie’s battle scenes, which are really key, seem a little too stagey and not quite involving enough. Or maybe Bouchareb’s desire to make his point gets in the way of the movie, which is a hard call to make, as Indigènes seems to be meant as a wake-up call, and at that it definitely succeeds.

Indigènes (Days of Glory) opens this Friday, Feb. 23

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