Rouge | Red Soil: dir Farid Bentoumi (2020)

An occupational nurse in a chemical plant turns whistleblower over toxic discharges but has to balance fighting for the truth against the risk of alienating her entire family – many of whom work for the giant chemical works, an ominous yet unavoidable presence that dominates their modest French town.

The result could be a goodies-vs-baddies thriller, or (perhaps worse) a dogmatic dissertation on environmental advocacy; in fact it’s neither – yes, there are (eco)thriller elements, but the personal issues make it a rich study in real life. The whistleblower’s struggles for justice aren’t just with the company; she also has to face opposition from her father, who has absolute faith in the corporation as a crucial job provider for the community.

As the review says, it’s a “tense and timely thriller”. That’s helped in no small part by the quality of the acting (Zita Hanrot as the nurse, Sami Bouajila as her father, Céline Sallette as a committed journalist with a dark side). Also relevant: it’s based on a real incident (in Hungary, as it happens, but the same process is widely used around the world with the same dangers).

The film screens in the NAAS programme under the umbrella title Green Reel: Films for a Sustainable Future, featuring independent films from around the world that focus on the environment and sustainability. NAAS is a collaboration between a number of cultural institutions in the UAE: the Goethe-Institut Gulf Region, the Embassies of France in the United Arab Emirates, the Embassy of Canada to the United Arab Emirates, the Italian Cultural Institute of Abu Dhabi, the Embassy of Switzerland to the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain, and Alliance Française Dubai.

NAAS: Green Reel runs from 10 September to 26 November at Alliance Française Dubai. The screenings are all free and subtitled in English.

Upcoming: (click the title for the link)

24 September Ökozid | Ecocide dir Andres Veiel (2020)
8 October Siccità | Dry dir Paolo Virzì (2022)
22 October Animal dir Cyril Dion (2021)
5 November Taste the Waste dir Valentin Thurn (2011)
12 November More than Honey dir Markus Imhoof (2012)
19 November Hadwin’s Judgement dir Sasha Snow (2015)
26 November Dans la brume | Just a Breath Away dir Daniel Roby (2018)