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movie review - the Statement

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

This is the story of a Frechman who's on the lam. He's fleeing the authorities because of his past as a collaborater with the puppet Vichy regime of southern France, at which point he played a minor role in the war-time execution of seven Jews in a small village. The plot hinges on the support he's received from the Church, who provide shelter and money to keep him in a minimal existence.

Though the timeline of this tale is not stated, it seems to be set in the 90's, by which point the fugitive is ageing and not in top health. With Jewish vigilantes and the army closing in on him, he moves from abbey to monastery, breaking only to hole up with his estranged wife and kill two of the vigilantes.

His religious hypocracy and the violence with which he interacts with the world are his two main character traits, so he's not a terribly sympathetic character. As the movie grinds to its inexorable conclusion, every kind of betrayal is committed, and the chase becomes ever closer.

The one thing that is done quite well is the way that the actual story of the villager's execution is pieced together in a combination of flashbacks and investigation. By the time you learn the limited scope of the fugitive's involvement, and the extent of the culpability of other parties, you realize that it's too late.

Recommended.