Claire Denis’ “The Fence” Grapples with Colonial Ghosts in Tense New Drama
Toronto International Film Festival – Renowned Frenchโ director Claire Denis (“White Material,” “Great Work”) returns with โ”The Fence,” a simmering, theatrical drama that confrontsโฃ the lingering tensions of colonialism in contemporaryโค Africa. Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, the film, adapted from Bernard-Marie Koltรจs‘ 1979โ play Black Battles with Dogs, offers โขaโ stark and unsettling โlook at power dynamics,โข guilt, โขand โthe complexities of relationships built on unequal ground.
The film centers onโฃ Horn (Matt Dillon), a weary American foreman overseeing a remote โAfrican constructionโ site – a location that feels less like a workplace โand more like a relic of โcolonial rule.โฃ His fragile peace is shattered by the arrival of his young โขBritish girlfriend, Leonie โ(Mia McKenna-Bruce), โandโฃ the potential cover-up of a worker’s death.
Denis, known for her โคvisually poetic style, takes a different approach with “The Fence,” โprioritizing dialog and performance.โฃ While this shift occasionally โฃfeels stage-bound, it allows โขfor compelling turns fromโข the cast, especially McKenna-Bruce, โfresh โoff her acclaimed โrole in “How toโค Have Sex,” โฃand the captivating Tom blyth. Their chemistryโ crackles with a sensualโ tension that is a hallmark ofโ Denis’โฃ work.
Blyth โขplays Cal,โ a volatile presence who disrupts the budding romance between Horn and Leonie, and becomes a suspect in the death ofโ a local worker. The victim’s brother, Alboury (Isaach de Bankolรฉ, a frequent Denis collaborator), arrives โseekingโ justice, โคembodyingโ a โquiet but powerful moral force. De โขbankolรฉ’s performance is particularly striking, portraying Alboury as a figure who stands firmly โon the side of the marginalized,โ refusing to allow the incidentโ to be swept under โคthe rug.
“The Fence” isn’t a cozy watch. It’s