Vivid, difficult, gripping and epic. Absolutely relevant. Banned in France for five years, it portrayed a more nuanced perspective of the French than I had expected. And is stronger for it.

This is a must see.

And I’m curious about the post-colonial Algerian cinema, which at least in the 70s was apparently largely consumed with stories of the war for liberation.

This is worth a watch. Change the names of the two parties and their situation could apply to a number of current world situations. However, it is not without a bias, of course. Watch it with that caveat.

The Battle of Algiers is a harrowing and timely portrait of the fight for independence that happened in the 1950s in Algeria. There is an amazing and shocking documentary feel to the film with hundreds or perhaps thousands of extras appearing the film. With a conscious blurring of the boundaries between drama and documentary as the filming takes place in the streets and with many of the people who would have been there. It provides a methodical look inside both sides of a struggle and it drags on and the stakes increase. Unique and bold filmmaking.