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Film: L'Argent
Director: Robert Bresson
Country: France
Released: May 1983
Runtime: 83 minutes
Genre: Drama
Studio: MK2 Diffusion
Influenced: Michel Haneke, Dardennes, Jacques Audiard, Cristian Mungiu, Béla Tarr
Based on 1911 short story The Forged Note by Leo Tolstoy, Robert Bresson's late masterpiece L'Argent explores themes of greed, corruption and more specifically the devastating consequences that can result from a single counterfeit 500-franc banknote. Bresson adapted the story, staying true to his minimalist and contemplative style, while focusing on the moral dilemmas faced by the characters and the consequences of their actions. The film's narrative, divided into three distinct acts like a classic Greek tragedy, begins with a young and naïve man named Yvon (Christian Patey) who works as a printer. He receives the counterfeit note innocently as payment for a photography job.
Unaware of its counterfeit nature, he attempts to use it to purchase building supplies. The shop owner detects the forgery and calls the police. Yvon is arrested and sentenced to prison. As with his previous works, Bresson uses non-professional actors and employs a restrained and minimalist approach to acting and dialogue. During Part II, which is initially set in prison, Yvon experiences the harsh and brutal realities of the system, and he becomes disillusioned and hardened. Upon release, he struggles to find work and ends up as a casual labourer on a construction site, and the hardships he faces there and the social rejection he experiences drive him to the edge.
In Part III, the focus shifts to a wealthy and corrupt man named Norbert (Marc Ernest Fourneau). Norbert also comes into possession of the counterfeit banknote but deliberately uses it to pay a debt. The note circulates through various hands, leading to further crimes, violence and tragedy. Bresson's film is a clever and powerful critique of capitalism, showcasing how some individuals like Norbert are able to exploit loopholes and engage in unethical practices for personal gain, exacerbating inequalities and harming others in the process. For working-class people like Yvon, however, innocent possession of a counterfeit note can results in imprisonment, setting him on a path of despair and a perpetual cycle of crime and punishment, making it difficult for him to escape his circumstances and rehabilitate.
L'Argent also exposes the moral decay and alienation in capitalist society. People become consumed by their pursuit of personal interests and self-preservation, leading them to make unethical choices without considering the impact on others. Throughout the film, Bresson often uses just hands and gestures as a means to convey emotions, intentions and inner turmoil, while his use of jump cuts, montage and precise editing create a sense of condensed time and urgency. The film's rhythm, created through razor-sharp editing, complements the moral dilemmas faced by the characters and the escalating tension as the counterfeit note circulates. Just like in A Man Escaped (1956), Bresson's powerful use of sound editing and religious imagery also create added depth. L'Argent was Bresson's last film and it was nominated for the Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival, and also won several critics awards, cementing the director's place as one of the most influential in cinema history.
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