'Earth and Blood' Movie Review

Introduction

There is no love greater than the love of a father for his child. When a worker stashes stolen drugs in a sawmill facility, the owner becomes tangled in a deadly feud with a drug dealer in attempt to protect his daughter

Key themes

Drug dealers stalk into the police precinct and hold two police officers at gun point, forcing them to do their will. They steal drugs from the evidence room.

Saïd, a sawmill owner, finds out that his lungs are at low capacity and he is likely to die soon. He decides to sell his sawmill, wishing for his daughter to start living her dreams instead of working at the sawmill.

The drug dealer that stole 8 kg of cocaine, coerces his half brother, Yanis, to help him out by trading cars with him. Yanis is hesitant to trade as he is on parole and was using his boss's truck.

Saïd tells his deaf daughter, Sarah, of his plans to sell the sawmill. The potential buyer views the sawmill facilities. Saïd strikes a deal ensuring that his workers are kept on.

Saïd discovers that his company truck is missing and questions Yanis. He finds Yanis's half brother's car and forces Yanis to tell him what is inside the hidden car. Saïd identifies the stolen cocaine within the car.

Saïd hides the cocaine amongst the wood and equipment in the mill. He locks Yanis in a cupboard and drives offs to report the stolen drugs to the police. On his way there, Saïd crosses path with the drug lord on hunt for the stolen drugs.

The drug lord's brother arrives at the sawmill and holds Sarah and Yanis at gun point. He finds and takes the hidden drugs and is about to kill them both, when Saïd shows up and kills him.

The drug lord and his men show up at the sawmill and talk to Saïd, asking to take the drugs. Saïd says the drugs are gone and the drug lord discovers his brother has been killed.

A gun fight breaks out as the drug lord aims to kill Saïd for killing his brother. The drug lord kills Yanis's half brother, who is the root cause of the feud.

Yanis and Sarah run away at Saïd's command, whilst he stays behind to kill the attackers. One of the drug lord's men spots the two escaping and follows them, aiming to kill them.

The drug lord's men set the sawmill on fire in order to kill Saïd. One of the men watches Saïd as he escapes the burning facility and aims to shoot him, but Saïd knocks out the gun from his hand. After tackling with one another, Saïd cuts off the man's hand with the wood cutting equipment.

Saïd eventually escapes the burning building via the wood output machinery. Yanis and Sarah continue to run away from the drug lord's man.

Yanis grabs hold of the drug lord's man and strangles him, in the process he gets stabbed by the man. Saïd arrives to the scene and knocks down the man and attaches him to a horse and rope; the horse rips off his legs. Yanis dies.

Saïd shoots dead the last of the drug lord's men. The drug lord shoots fire, one of the bullets hitting Saïd. The drug lord could have killed Saïd but leaves him uttering "an eye for an eye".

The drug lord searches for Sarah. He kills their neighbour and eventually finds her. Sarah is left to a dilemma of getting shot or jumping out of the window.

In jumping out the window, Sarah breaks her ankle. Unable to walk, the drug lord walks up to Sarah. Surprisingly, he drops his gun and caresses her face in the rain. When it appears he is about to snap her neck, Saïd swings an axe into his back and proceeds to swing the axe into his chest.

The drug lord is killed and Saïd falls to the ground hurt from his bullet wound. Sarah lays with her father as the police helicopter locates them from above.

Key observations

• Why was there no security or other officers or guards present at the police precinct? How was it so easy for the drug dealers to enter in and steal from the police precinct? Why weren't the police officers armed?
• Why would Yanis smoke around Saïd when he knew he 'quit smoking' and has a fatal lung condition?
• What relationship does Yanis have with Saïd? Yanis seems to be familiar with Saïd and Sarah, even though he does not work at the sawmill, as of yet. Yanis openly spoke about his half brother and about the drug situation to Saïd. Saïd did not ask about the half brother which indicates Saïd may already know him. Saïd told Yanis to "call your brother", this could show that they are already familiar with one another. Saïd was able to talk to Sarah about Yanis. Saïd helped Yanis hide the drugs temporarily, an action only to be done for people you know. Why would Saïd lend Yanis a company truck when he doesn't work at the sawmill? How does Saïd know Yanis? How are they connected? How do they know one another?
• Saïd runs a re-entry programme, helping social outsiders re-enter society by giving them a job at the sawmill. Yanis is on parole; why is Saïd so hesitant to give him a job at the sawmill?
• Why didn't Yanis call his half brother from his phone? Why dial his brother's number, which he referenced to from his smartphone, on a telephone line?
• How did Yanis unlock his phone and it was already open on his half brother's contact details?
• Was Saïd driving to the police station? If so, why was he go there armed with a gun and without the stolen drugs? Was he going to visit Yanis's half brother? If so, how would he know where he is?
• How did the drug lord know the truck belonged to Saïd when he had never seen or met him before? The drug lord did not even know where the sawmill was, he had to ask for directions. So how would he know what truck Saïd drives?
• How did the drug lord's brother know exactly where to locate the hidden drugs? Even if Yanis directed him, surely he would have had to rummage around before finding the drugs because its hidden in an unfamiliar place. How did he find the drugs so easily?
• Did the drug lord's brother know Yanis? Did Yanis deal drugs himself? What reason did Yanis go to jail before being released on parole?
• Where are the other guys that helped Yanis's half brother steal the cocaine from the police precinct? Did the drug lord's men kill them?
• Why did Yanis die so quickly from a stab wound? The drug lord's brother died slowly and even lived long enough to call out to the drug lord, yet Yanis died almost instantly from a stab wound to his gut.
• Why did the drug lord take so long to kill Sarah? Why did he drop his gun? Why didn't he shoot her dead? He had so many opportunities to kill her on the spot, why didn't he? Why did he caress her face? Was he about to snap her neck? (He had previously killed two people that way). Was he ever going to kill her?
• Why did it take the police so long to arrive? They informed Yanis that it would take 20 minutes, yet they did not arrive till everyone, except Saïd and Sarah, had been killed. They were in a helicopter which should have enabled them to locate quicker.What took them so long?

Conclusion

There was earth, there was blood, there was sweat and there were tears. This film violently expressed how far a man would go in order to protect his child. The film shows that relationship is the most important factor to all human beings. Saïd was willing to lay down his life for his daughter and the drug lord was no longer fighting to retrieve the stolen drugs, but to avenge the death of his beloved brother. They were fighting for their blood. The drug lord appeared to have a sensitive side as he caressed Sarah's face gently before he would have killed her. Even the drug lord knew that life is precious, which is why, despite all the signs to stop fighting and leave the crime scene with his drugs, he never stopped until he got was was owed to his dead brother - another life. The film was involved with drugs but its core was centred around relationship and how important it is to put all your efforts into the relationships you have, perhaps explains why the drug lord's men were willing to die for him. The film helps us to understand that wars outbreak due to disputes and impure intentions, but most importantly because relationship has been disconnected. Significantly, we are all made of earth, blood, sweat and tears; it is up to us how we use our lives.

Cast

Sami Bouajila - Saïd

Sofia Lesaffre - Sarah

Samy Seghir - Yanis

Eriq Ebouaney - Drug lord