L'Argent

The love of money versus the necessity of money.  Money itself.  What is the root of all evil? You can consult the Holy Bible.  You can look at history before and after its publishing.  Money makes things possible.  It leads men to deceive.  To murder.  What if the pursuit is born out of the need to provide for one's family?  If money is obtained illegally, but used for something worthwhile, given to charity perhaps, is evil still present? Has absolution occurred for the guilty?

These questions are at the heart of 1983's L'ARGENT, the final film from renowned French director Robert Bresson.  It is another masterwork, an austere yet stunning essay on morality. Bresson based his screenplay on Leo Tolstoy's novella The Forged Coupon, though one might observe shades of Flannery O'Connor here as well.  The story begins with a counterfeit note offered to a poor little rich kid by his friend to pay off a debt to a classmate.  Five hundred francs is more than necessary so the boys pass off the money at a photo shop.  From there the bill lands into the unfortunate hands of a laborer, setting off a chain reaction of bad luck and bad decisions alike.  Where it ultimately leads is quite devastating.

Those final scenes, as with all of L'ARGENT, are filmed in as minimalist a style as I can recall in a film.  Bresson's themes and implications are what give his films such gravitas, not an overt orchestration.  Yet we are engrossed scene to scene as we follow the terrible logic of greed and apathy. Bresson's method is spare, yet compelling.  Notice the repeated shots of the actors' hands as they handle money, turn doorknobs, go about a myriad of other business.  The focal point is rarely on faces, though when we see them their grief is unmistakable.

Money does not bring joy to anyone in this movie, even those who (temporarily) profit.  It does lead to misunderstandings and desperate measures.  Behavior you would have never seen coming, especially from the Yvon (Christian Paley), a family man whose downward spiral makes one wonder if evil didn't already exist in him, especially when we survey his final actions.  This is an incredible motion picture that will chill the bones of any attentive, thoughtful viewer.  Perhaps especially viewers of religious faith.  We know where Bresson came (and was coming) from.