Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

White Material Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 11, 2011

Nominated for Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival, Claire Denis' "White Material" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer and an exclusive video interview with director Claire Denis and actor Christopher Lambert. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Needed weapons

Claire Denis’ White Material is set in an unnamed French-speaking country somewhere in Africa. The local government has collapsed and various gangs have taken over the major roads. Some have started collecting taxes, others have gone on a killing spree. A famous politician has created his own militia to restore order. Businesses and schools have closed. A radio jockey who has not slept in days is constantly praising the 'patriots' that have forced the French Army and the wealthy white settlers to leave.

The whole country is in chaos.

Maria Vial (Isabelle Huppert, The Piano Teacher, Villa Amalia), a white French woman who has lived in the country for years, wants to make sure that the coffee crop in the family plantation is not wasted. There is no time to worry about the 'patriots' and the various gangs. Maria has seen this type of unrest before. In a couple of days people will calm down and everything will go back to normal.

But Andre (Christopher Lambert, Subway, Highlander), Maria’s husband, disagrees. This time, he explains, it is different. Something much bigger, something a lot more serious is underway. He urges Maria to leave the plantation and go back to France with him where they will be safe. It will cost them, but he will arrange everything. When Maria suggests that he has lost his mind, Andre walks away.

Moments later, Maria jumps in the family truck and heads to the nearest village to hire seasonal workers. Along the way she is taxed hundred dollars for using the only road that connects the plantation with the village. As she drives away, a jaded thug warns her that on the way back she will be taxed again.

White Material is a quiet and exceptionally beautiful film. It is also an enormously cruel film. It reminded me a lot about Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire’s equally disturbing Johnny Mad Dog in which large gangs of drugged child soldiers go on a killing spree in Liberia.

The tone of White Material, however, is radically different from that of Johnny Mad Dog. The focus of attention in the latter is on the events that ensue after the Liberian government collapses. Director Sauvaire simply recreates the horrors Congolese writer Emmanuel Dongola chronicled in his novel completely avoiding political correctness (the overwhelming majority of the actors in Johnny Mad Dog are real child soldiers). White Material is something of a confession, a very personal film that allows director Denis, who grew up in colonial Africa, to reconnect with the 'dark continent'.

Unsurprisingly, White Material does not condemn and deplore. The film is structured in a way that encourages interpretation while it offers a very specific experience, so anyone expecting a 'logical' explanation from director Denis at the end that would tie together its scattered pieces will be gravely disappointed. The atmosphere and mood of the film are far more important than its narrative.

As usual, Huppert is superb. Director Denis’ camera often studies her face, but in this film she never bares her soul. Naturally, Huppert's reactions are unpredictable and shocking, resembling that of a seriously hurt animal desperately trying to stay alive.

The work of cinematographer Yves Cape, who has contributed to such films as Minh Nguyen-Vo’s Buffalo Boy and Bruno Dumont’s Humanite and Flanders, is ingenious. The film also benefits from a fantastic soundtrack courtesy of Stuart Staples.

White Material Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Claire Denis' White Material arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye.

White Material is yet another strong addition to Artificial Eye's already very impressive catalog of Blu-ray releases. It looks beautiful, and I certainly hope that eventually they would treat us with equally impresisve Blu-ray releases of Beau Travail and Chocolat. Both should look spectacular in 1080p.

White Material has a striking organic look - detail is outstanding, clarity pleasing, and contrast levels well balanced. The prominent warm red/yellowish tint is very much in sync with the aura of the film. One could literally feel the thick, heavy, humid air of the unnamed African country. Edge-enhancement is not a serious issue of concern, though occasionally there are traces of it popping up here and there (see screencapture #18). Because of the constant shaky camera movement, however, its presence is practically impossible to spot while viewing the film. I did not see any signs of excessive noise reduction - the transfer conveys wonderful depth and fluidity. Finally, I did not see any serious compression artifacts or stability issues to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

White Material Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and French DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. For the record, Artificial Eye have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they split the image frame and the black bar below it.

The French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is excellent. White Material has a dark, very moody soundtrack, courtesy of Stuart Staples, which benefits enormously from the loseless treatment. Admittedly, surround and bass activity is rather limited but there is a wide range of nuanced dynamics. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and exceptionally easy to follow. Lastly, I did not detect any disturbing pops, cracks, hissings, or audio dropouts to report in this review. The English translation is very good, but the optional white English subtitles are a bit too big for my taste.

White Material Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview - in this video interview, recorded exclusively for the British TV channel Cinemoi, director Claire Denis and actor Christopher Lambert discuss the production history of White Material and its main characters. In French and English, with imposed English subtitles where necessary. (11min, 1080/50i)

• Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for White Material. In French, with optional English subtitles. (2 min, 1080/50i)

White Material Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Claire Denis' White Material is a very personal but certainly not nostalgic film about the dehumanization of post-colonial Africa. At its core there is more admiration than disappointment, I think, as well as a concern that a lot in Africa is now irreversibly damaged. The film is beautifully lensed and terrifically acted. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye, looks and sounds very good. There are not a lot of supplemental features on it, but it is Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.