L'Argent (1983)

 Robert Bresson's "L'Argent"

The last film that Robert Bresson ever made was 1983's "L'Argent." Although he was in his 80s when he made it, it still manages to emanate a thematic vibrancy and a creative prowess unlike anyone else making films at the time. Of course, since we are talking about Bresson, we have to mention his tonal style. "L'Argent" contains the typical Bressonian hallmarks: stoic, unmoved imagery, actors delivering their lines with a flat affect, and a concentration on objective acts rather than emotional reasoning.

The plot of the film follows the consequences of two young boys using counterfeit money to purchase a picture frame from a local photo shop. The photo shop unethically uses the money to pay Yvon, who delivers them heating oil. Yvonne is arrested for attempting to use the money, and when he has his day in court, the shop lies about giving him the money. After having to pay off the debt, Yvon is arrested for robbery, goes to prison, has his child die, and his wife leave him. After getting out of prison after three years, Yvon murders a family running a hotel in order to take their money, along with another family who kindly takes him in. He confesses to the police and is taken back off to jail.

I find "L'Argent" to be a vastly different thematic perspective from Bresson than his typical outing. While Bresson's films typically focus on humanity's cold and cruel behavior in a landscape void of decency, "L'Argent" arrives at the same thematic point in a far more socio-political way. That's not to say that a Bresson film can't touch upon social or political contexts. For example, "Pickpocket" arrives at socio-political themes in some facets. 

But, "L'Argent" is far more interested in the objective fallout of capitalism, materialism, and classism. Our protagonist Yvon is the victim of forces well beyond his control. The desire and need for money in a landscape in which money is the driving force of human life creates eventual tragedy. We watch as counterfeit bills create a domino effect that completely destroys the lives of everyone it touches. 

As we watch this domino effect of consequences, it becomes clear that the inherent need of money and possession drives all behavior. From the children in the opening sequences who need money to pay off a debt to a bully, the shop's need for money in their business, Yvon's need of money to keep his family afloat, etc. So, when there is a lack of money, the behavior of the characters debases to unethical and illegal means to procure it at all costs. 

Because Bresson is concerned with externality, he forces his actors to behave as emotionless and mechanical as they can. This severs any sort of bias we feel towards them, as the characters become far less empathetic and far more alien. This forces the viewer to regard the characters as objectively as possible: through their actions and behavior with no emphatic emotion attached. When we look at their objective behavior, it is clear that they are corrupted by this external power that has ahold of them. They are singularly controlled by the having or not having money or means. 

With "L'Argent," the cruelty and amorality of humanity is given a driving factor. Bresson's films typically illustrate the inherent quality of these amoralities, rather than being something contingent. It is far more critical of the socio-political environment of its characters and thereby far more critical of the contemporary French landscape in the 1980s. The 1980s were a time of enormous wealth and a focus on money and the material world. "L'Argent" illustrates how dangerous this attachment to money is and the natural consequences that could unfold in the current socio-political environment.