A Prophet

A PROPHET tells the story of Tahar Rahim, a small-time criminal sentenced to hard time in the French penal system. Rahim doesn’t know how to read. He doesn’t know how to handle himself. He doesn’t even know how to get away with petty crime. But the French penal system will teach him all that, and more.

A PROPHET takes Rahim from petty criminal to major player. In the process, it both illustrates some unintended consequences of even the most humane systems of punishment and rehabilitation. Further, it creates an absorbing, compelling narrative. Like THE GODFATHER, A PROPHET actually gets us to root for the bad guys, hoping their schemes will come to fruition and they will find their way. A PROPHET had me on the edge of my seat for every phase of Rahim’s development, putting my desire for greater justice at odds with my sympathy for a young guy surviving and thriving on wits in a harsh environment.

Everything about this film works. From the performances to the writing to the direction to the attention to the details of crimes and criminality, A PROPHET creates a total world, immerses us in it, and compels us to care about what happens there. It’s powerful stuff, and easily the best film of its type that I’ve seen in a long, long time.

Do not miss A PROPHET. It’s one of the best films you’ll see this year.