Harkis

Unfolding from 1959 to 1962, as the Algerian War definitively turns against the French colonial powers, Harkis takes its title from the term given to native recruits who joined the occupying army, only to find themselves abandoned when their would-be protectors lost the war. Complexly rendered portraits of men in a difficult situation during a moment of monumental political change are punctured by tense and startling scenes of combat, but the violence and betrayals inflicted on the soldiers by their recruiters is even greater. Moroccan-born French director Philippe Faucon’s Fatima (Rendez-Vous 2016), a sensitive dramedy about a Moroccan mother struggling to connect with her daughters, was awarded Best Picture at the César Awards; here, Faucon demonstrates an equally steady hand with his outstanding ensemble cast, conjuring a vital depiction of a shameful national moment.