THE FIRST, THE LAST
Belgian, France, 2016, 98 minutes, Colour.
Albert Dupontel, Bouli Lanners, Suzanne Clement, Michael Lonsdale, David Murgia, Aurore Broutin, Philippe Rebbot, Max von Sydow.
Directed by Bouli Lanners.
The First, the Last has won a number of awards, including an ecumenical award. It is a blend of realism and apocalyptic fantasy. The title of the film has gospel overtones about the poor and humble contrasting with the proud.
The film is set in rather ugly Belgian/ French landscapes, open roads and woods, motels and diners, farmhouses, bed-and-breakfast as well is the open road and shelter under bridges.
At the centre of the film is a couple who are mentally impaired, Willie and Esther, fearing that the end of the world is to happen and she on a trek to find her daughter whose age she does not know. On the way they encounter a wise traveller who says he is Jesus and gives them spiritual and practical advice. And he later turns up to help. However, Willie is accused of beating the wife of a prominent man at a motel and a group of thugs pursue him. In the meantime Esther gets lost.
Also at the centre of the film are two bounty hunters, in their early 50s, taking on a job to find a mobile phone from a wealthy man. They have a GPS, travel up and down the countryside but get into their own troubles, one of the men collapsing and having to go to hospital, the other being bashed. The other man encounters a woman, helps with the car but she drives off – but returns and invites him home, for a meal, the night together. They discover Esther and the woman looks after her.
Also in the film other character actors Michael Lonsdale and Max von Sydow, the former is the very old manager of a bed-and-breakfast, a kindly man, and Max von Sydow as an organiser of funerals when a very old corpse is found in a warehouse. There is a moving funeral sequence, prayers and hymns.
While there are storylines, the film is more evocative, delineating the characters, unusual characters, in the context of the possibility of an Apocalypse.
1. A Belgian film, blend of realism and imagination?
2. The realism, the Belgian countryside, the roads, bridges, farms and barns, motels, homes, diners? Ugly landscapes? Yet the beauty of the scenes of the sky? The musical score?
3. The fantasy? Apocalyptic tone, the end of the world, the religious dimensions, the presence of Jesus?
4. The focus on the two men, their age, disputes about their age, working together, the phone call and the job, searching for the phone, the GPS? Their arguments, the in the bar, taunts, the little dog, the collapse, the man going to hospital?
5. Willie and Esther, travelling together, the intellectual difficulties? The bond between the two? The end of the world, travelling to find Esther’s daughter? The motel, the clash, Willie taking the phone? Willie and his search in the town, losing Esther? Their encounter with Jesus, his advice? Esther being found by one of the men, his being a good man, helping her?
6. The presence of Jesus, walking along the road, talking, giving advice, helping? Having to move on?
7. The focus, the issue of the phone, taking it, the pursuit of Willie, the confrontation with the good man, the fight and bashing him?
8. The bed-and-breakfast sequence, the old man, his care, looking after the men, the breakfast, working in his garden? The dead body? Getting the funeral director, the funeral, the prayers?
9. The issue of the phone, the two men seeing what was on it, the owner bashing a woman? The change of attitude? The pursuit?
10. The woman and her car, the good man helping her, her returning, bringing him home, the night together? The sequences with the deer – and his being shot? Symbol? Her care for Esther?
11. Willie and Esther and their journey, the bond between them?
12. The two men, their friendship, jobs, integrity?
13. The background of villains, criminals and thugs?
14. The biblical overtones of the title – and with references to those who would be put down, to those who would be raised up?
