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.
A maddening movie that gives the viewer plenty to think about, but little to care about.
– William Goss,
Film.com,
14 Apr 2011
fresh:
White Material is unhurried in its storytelling but unshakable in its impact.
– Calvin Wilson,
St. Louis Post-Dispatch,
31 Jan 2011
fresh:
A thoughtful, if sometimes frustrating, tale of a Frenchwoman caught in the middle of a civil war in an unidentified African country.
– Cary Darling,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Jan 2011
fresh:
A poignant, haunting study of well-intentioned but doomed folly, embodied by a heroine whose bravery renders her blind to the world that is crumbling around her.
– Rene Rodriguez,
Miami Herald,
6 Jan 2011
rotten:
It's one of those movies where questions like "Why didn't they do that?" or "Wait, what's their relationship?" keep popping up. And for the most part, those questions never get answered.