‚A Prophet‘ won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009.
Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009. Most of the press believed the film to be a strong contender for the Palme d’Or, however, it was awarded to Michael Haneke’s White Ribbon. Audiard will win the Palme d’Or though six years later, for his next film, Dheepan.
That year of 2009, Isabelle Huppert was president of the jury, with Robin Wright, Asia Argento, and Hanif Kureishi amongst the jury.
As it has just been reported that an American studio is producing a remake of A Prophet, which will be named American Son, with Russell Crowe playing a ruthless mobster, this is the perfect time to re-watch or discover Jacques Audiard’s truly outstanding film.
A Prophet is an intense two and half hour-long thriller. Malik El Djebena, played by Tahar Rahim, enters prison. He has just been sentenced to six years in prison. He is 19, cannot read nor write, has no family nor friends. He keeps to himself in prison, but alone, he is vulnerable.
The prison itself has within it different gangs, formed by ethnicities. Corsicans look after each other, as do those from Arab descent. At this particular time when Malik enters, the Corsicans call the shots, having a number of Corsican police guards doing their bidding.
