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Beau Travail

Beau Travail

Drama · 2000

Foreign Legion officer Galoup recalls his once glorious life, training troops in the Gulf of Djibouti. His existence there was happy, strict and regimented, until the arrival of a promising young recruit, Sentain, plants the seeds of jealousy in Galoup's mind.

Movie details

Beau Travail

“Maybe freedom begins with remorse.”

2000 Drama 1h 33m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.1 / 10

Community rating

Foreign Legion officer Galoup recalls his once glorious life, training troops in the Gulf of Djibouti. His existence there was happy, strict and regimented, until the arrival of a promising young recruit, Sentain, plants the seeds of jealousy in Galoup's mind.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Beau Travail?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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The Rays and Shadows

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Drama · 2026

Jean and Otto, a French newspaperman and a young German Francophile, are fighting for peace in Europe. Jean’s daughter, Corinne, is launching a brilliant acting career in the film world, but war breaks out and France is occupied. The two friends have a major role to play in this new France. Jean becomes a big press baron and an ardent advocate of collaboration with the occupying forces, while Otto becomes the Reich’s ambassador in Paris. Corinne, meanwhile, finds herself thrown into the lion’s pit.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Claire Denis

Written by

Jean-Pol Fargeau · Claire Denis

Denis Lavant

Denis Lavant

Galoup

Michel Subor

Michel Subor

Commander Bruno Forestier

Grégoire Colin

Grégoire Colin

Gilles Sentain

Richard Courcet

Richard Courcet

Legionnaire

Nicolas Duvauchelle

Nicolas Duvauchelle

Legionnaire

A

Adiatou Massudi

Legionnaire

M

Mickael Ravovski

Legionnaire

Court is in session

Put Beau Travail on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.