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Poster for White Material

White Material

2010 · 106 min

A sweltering, disorienting descent into stubborn obsession, where dread builds quietly and violence erupts with little warning.

Directed by
Claire Denis
Genres
Drama
Starring
Isabelle Huppert, Christopher Lambert, Nicolas Duvauchelle
Tagline
In the African heat, one woman stands alone
Overview
In the midst of a volatile regime change in a Francophone African state, Maria Vial is fighting to sustain her family’s coffee plantation. With rebels and the army struggling for control, French peacekeeping forces move out, warning the remaining white residents that they’re on their own. But Maria refuses to be driven off the land, even as tragedy looms.

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Rent or buy in the UK
  • YouTube
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Claire Denis
Genres
Drama
Starring
Isabelle Huppert, Christopher Lambert, Nicolas Duvauchelle
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How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • bleakstrength 3 of 3
  • tensestrength 3 of 3
  • darkstrength 2 of 3
  • eeriestrength 1 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • colonialism
  • obsession
  • family
  • madness
  • violence
Places
  • countryside
  • small town
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • nonlinear
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror4
Humour1
Realism8
Romance1
Tension8
Darkness8
Complexity7
Emotional weight8

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Where to watch in the UK

Rent or buy
  • YouTube

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
drama
Directed by
Claire Denis
Written by
Marie N'Diaye, Claire Denis
Starring
Isabelle Huppert, Christopher Lambert, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Isaach de Bankolé, William Nadylam, Michel Subor, Adèle Ado, Ali Barkai
Music
David Boulter, Stuart A. Staples
Cinematography
Yves Cape
Runtime
106 min
Country
France, Cameroon
Languages
French

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