Italian filmmaker Roberto Minervini is known for his artfully crafted films, such as Stop the Pounding Heart, The Other Side, and What You Gonna Do When the World's on Fire?, which blur the lines between fiction and documentary.
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| 'The Damned' LES FILMS DU LOSANGE |
Using nonprofessional actors who portray themselves or versions of themselves, Minervini weaves narratives that feel like they are plucked from real life. His films are set in real locations, often focusing on the American South, where Minervini has resided since 2000. Despite his Italian heritage, he transforms these locales into stunning backdrops for his raw and poignant stories of poverty and neglect.
In his latest film, The Damned, Roberto Minervini departs from his typical documentary-style filmmaking. Set in 1862 during the Civil War, the movie follows a group of Union soldiers as they navigate uncharted territories in the West. While not a documentary, the film captures a sense of realism that feels as if it could be genuine historical footage.
The film's authenticity is apparent in its lack of traditional action, aside from a single, intense battle sequence. Instead, much of the movie depicts soldiers passing the time, a common occurrence in wartime. The cast, comprised of ordinary-looking men clad in the distinctive dark blue Union uniforms, speaks in a manner that is relatable to modern audiences.
This blending of historical accuracy with contemporary dialogue creates a unique viewing experience, blurring the lines between reality and fiction and presenting a version of the past that feels both authentic and relevant.
The cinematography in The Damned is captivating, with Carlos Alfonso Corral, who also composed the music, skillfully capturing the troops in shallow-focus compositions against the stunning Montana landscapes, creating a slightly blurred backdrop. This aesthetic is reminiscent of Terence Malick's The New World and Alejandro Iñarritu's The Revenant, both shot by the acclaimed DP Emmanuel Lubezki. These films combined historical realism with a heightened naturalistic style, showcasing the beauty of America's tumultuous past.
In many ways, The Damned can be seen as a subdued, contemplative counterpart to those films. It portrays weary men engaging in conversations about God or mundane topics, all while awaiting the looming threat of death. This threat materializes about half an hour into the film, when the soldiers are ambushed in their encampment, leading to a prolonged and mesmerizing rifle battle set during twilight. It stands out as one of the most visually striking battle sequences in recent cinema.
The identity of the attackers targeting the Union Army remains ambiguous throughout The Damned, as Minervini prioritizes capturing a sense of loss and confusion among the troops over historical specifics. One soldier expresses dismay at the situation, lamenting, "We're killing other people, other Americans," serving as a subtle reminder — akin to Alex Garland's Civil War, albeit less overtly — of the current division within the country.
While there are no central characters for much of the narrative, the film eventually focuses on four soldiers who break away from the squad to scout a path through the mountains. Rather than meeting their demise in a climactic battle, they gradually drift apart into the haze of a war they struggle to comprehend fully, clinging to the hope that their actions lean more toward righteousness than malevolence, and that divine intervention will spare them.
The title of the film suggests that these soldiers may already be doomed. In a later scene, we return to the original camp to find only lifeless bodies strewn across the ground, evoking the haunting imagery of Matthew Brady's iconic photographs of Civil War battlefields.
Minervini leaves us with a lingering sense that while the Union emerged victorious from the war, its triumph would ultimately pave the way for the nation's current state, teetering on the edge of another profound division. This sentiment echoes Faulkner's famous words: "The past is never dead. It's not even past."
