Ennemis intérieurs (2016)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Well-made, but a bit too long, short has a man (Hassam Ghancy) trying to gain French citizenship but the interrogator (Najib Oudghiri) believes that his past might have ties to terrorism. The Algerian man calmly tries to explain why he would make a good French citizen but soon it becomes clear that the two are going to have a tense battle.

ENNEMIS INTERIEURS is a well-made French film that picked up a Best Live Action Oscar-nomination and it's easy to see why. The film is certainly a good one that manages to be quite intense at times even though there's really nothing but two men sitting at a desk talking and having their wills battle one another. Director-writer Selim Azzazi does a very good job at keeping you caught up in this back and forth battle between the two men where tempers often get the best of them. Obviously there's a political message on display here but thankfully the director never beats the viewer over the head with it. It certainly helps that both actors are so good in their roles and it really does seem as if you're watching an actual interrogation between the two.

This is one of five films nominated for the Oscar for Best Live Action Short. While I enjoyed "Sing" more, I think Enemies Within had a strong story and the strongest impact on me. It also has a strong message about our fears of Muslim extremism that makes you think. And, it manages to do all this without being preachy.

It's the story of an Algerian-born man who is requesting French citizenship. Many of you might not know but when he was born in the 1950s, Algeria was technically part of France and only later gained its independence. He has lived most of his life outside Algeria in France and considers himself to be French. And, while the meeting seems to be just a formality before obtaining citizenship, it soon turns into an ugly confrontation with a bureaucrat who treats him like a criminal.

I am not an extreme left-wing guy and I do have my concerns about immigration and Islamic extremists…and this is why the film impressed me so much. It really challenged my beliefs and shows the dangers that a hard-line approach to immigrants might create. Well worth seeing and very well made.

From the very first frame, it's obvious that this film is on a whole other level than the other Oscar nominated shorts. The lighting is simply outstanding, and the images are beautiful.

The acting is also excellent, and both characters are rendered with great depth.

Best of all though, is the script. The whole story is basically just two people in a room, talking. And still, the screenwriter manages to make it both exciting and moving. The plot toys with the audience, continuously changing our sympathies from one character to the other, and never attempts to simplify or cheapen the conflict.

I'll be very interested in seeing what this director does next, as this short promises great things in the future.

"Ennemis intérieurs" is a French short film from 2016 that runs for slightly under half an hour and was written and directed by Selim Azzazi, who was mostly known so far for his work in the sound department, also in Hollywood movies. But the success for this one here, i.e. the Oscar nomination, may motivate him to become a full feature filmmaker now as well. His ethical background at least is perfect for this little movie about Algeria, France and the terrorism reference also makes it a somewhat relevant watch. But even if the dialogues were solid, I was never really impressed here. The film is (with the exception of minor flashbacks) basically a dialogue between two people from start to finish, the interrogator and the interrogatee (if that word exists). Crime is a crucial component here, but so are suspense and drama. I think i read before the Oscars that this was considered the front runner for the Best Live Action Short win, but I personally am not too surprised it did not win, not because the material is so heavy and because it is so bleak, but also because it had not as much to offer as the other nominees. It is probably the second weakest of the nominees and while I see occasional potential by Azzazi here, I still hope he can improve in the future if he decides to direct more films. I give "Enemies within" a thumbs-down. It's probably only worth checking out for people with a direct connection to the subject here as I never felt it was a film that could get you actually interested in the Algeria conflict. I also think it may have worked better as a stage play than a film.

Completely uninteresting and not entertaining in the least. 30 minutes of two people sitting at a desk discussing ANYTHING is a bad idea from the beginning. It clearly has received recognition only because of the subject matter which I don't even know what that is because I fell asleep watching it. Poor example of filmmaking.