Released: 17th April 2020 (Netflix)
Length: 80 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Director: Julien Leclercq
Starring: Sami Bouajila, Sofia Lesaffre, Eriq Ebouaney and Samy Seghir
Often varying in quality, setting and context, the thriller genre boasts a wide range of efforts. Entering in at a more basic level, the compact and shortened Earth and Blood won’t be winning any awards but it still makes the most of its limited resources.
Set in rural France, Earth and Blood follows Saïd (Sami Bouajila), the long-term manager of a local sawmill. Trying to provide for his audibly impaired daughter Sarah (Sofia Lesaffre) and learning he is suffering from carcinoma, Saïd attempts to sell off his sawmill, only to be caught up in a petty drug smuggling operation that puts their lives on the line. The film cuts back and forth between Saïd and his dealings, placed against those of the small-time criminals. Clocking in less than ninety minutes, Earth and Blood is very streamlined; if you’re looking for a complex and winding narrative, it won’t be found here. The characters don’t undergo any major arcs and sale of the sawmill becomes fairly insignificant by the end, but taken for what it is, this simple and straightforward story makes for easy viewing. The tensions between the characters that rise at in the film’s final act are well done, with an extended action scene that does make somewhat of an impact.
With a limited script on hand, Earth and Blood’s characters aren’t especially deep and don’t change much throughout the piece. Be that as it may, the three main actors we follow do a reasonable job all the way through. Saïd is grizzled and worn out, the cancer slowly taking its toll on him, yet the old man still has a fiery determination to protect his daughter, something that drives his actions in the latter half of the film. While she doesn’t have much to do throughout the narrative, Sarah’s difficulties with deafness and communication through sign language are well conveyed by Sofia Lesaffre. Finally, Yanis (Samy Seghir) is a young and flawed individual who tries to make up for his mistakes in the climax. The way these individuals are put through a brutally visceral ordeal is the core of the production and despite their limited background, you do root for their survival. The villains are particularly weak; a band of sub-standard dealers who are hardly explored throughout the production. Their leader Adama (Eriq Ebouaney) is certainly physically imposing, but without personal development he doesn’t make for an impactful antagonist. While they do drive the action forward to an extent, the cast of Earth and Blood is rather standard compared to other thrillers.
The look of Earth and Blood is very desaturated and grey, a reflection of the grotty, rundown life the characters are living through. The film looks dingy and unflattering throughout and the most part, it’s a quiet affair, allowing the atmosphere to pull the viewer in. In terms of action, the concluding set piece is fairly slow-moving, as Saïd relies on hit-and-run attacks to best the violent dealers, while also using the obstacles and layout of the sawmill to go on the offensive. The camerawork is deftly handled, panning around the environment and These small elements assist the film in standing out from other thrillers; while the tension doesn’t reach white-knuckled levels, it’s still an entertaining final flourish. This is also where the limited music score kicks in; a strumming set of synths that raise the visceral nature of the fight.
The plot is quite thin, but as a quick and casual viewing experience, Earth and Blood has some elements to be proud of; it’s atmosphere, simple characterisation and unconventional setting do help it stand alongside other smaller scale thrillers. The film settles for delivering what it sets out do and nothing more.
Rating: 3/5 Stars (Fair)