Hors Satan

Do you like weird, minimalist French films with occasional eruptions of graphic violence? Then boy, have I got a treat for you. Hors Satan, a 2011 Cannes competitor directed by Bruno Dumont (who’s won the Grand Prix there twice) follows a nameless, emotionless drifter on France’s northern coast as he watches over a goth girl who’s endured emotional hardship and physical abuse. “Watches over” in this case means “kills anyone who advances upon her.” No real story to speak of. They just basically walk around the pastures and sometimes sort of flirt or else just gaze into the distance. It’s minimalism at its most exquisite — spare and tiresome but still visually interesting. You definitely have to be into this sort of thing. The lead guy looks like a cross between Vincent Cassel and Quasimodo, so there’s that. (Sam Allard)