Beau Travail

Beau Travail (pronounced [bo tʁa.vaj], French for "good job" or "nice work") is a 1999 French arthouse psychological drama film directed by Claire Denis, who co-wrote the screenplay alongside Jean-Pol Fargeau as an adaptation of the novella Billy Budd by Herman Melville. Starring Denis Lavant, Michel Subor and Grégoire Colin. An almost dialogue-free movie, it follows the story of a section of French Foreign Legion soldiers training in the desert of Djibouti. Parts of the film's soundtrack are taken from Benjamin Britten's 1951 opera based on Melville's novella. It received widespread critical acclaim with special attention towards its direction, acting, cinematography, soundtrack and handling of its themes. It is widely regarded as one of the finest movies of 1999, of the 1990s, of the 20th century, as well as one of the greatest movies of all time. It is also considered one of the best French movies ever made, and it is ranked as one of best movies directed by a female director in movie history.