The Last Duel: Medieval #MeToo

I was cautiously optimistic heading into The Last Duel, because there were a number of reasons this movie was going to work for me. I left the theater satisfied, knowing that while it wasn't a perfect movie, it still hit some of my cinematic sweet spots. Let me count the ways.

1. The script. One of my absolute favorite narrative devices in TV and film is a Rashomon-style story where you see the same tale being told from the perspectives of different characters. Based on the true events depicted in the book of the same name by Eric Jager, this movie is set in medieval France and tells the story of Lady Marguerite (Jodie Comer), who is married to Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon), and accuses his friend Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) of raping her. In three separate "chapters" we get each person's perspective on the events leading up to the assault, and it's an intricate and insightful look at how people view their own actions versus the actions of others, and can end up telling themselves different versions of the "truth." Matt Damon and Ben Affleck initially started writing this script themselves but thankfully realized they would need to bring a woman on board to tell Marguerite's story. So Nicole Holofcener rounds out the trio of screenwriters and you can feel her presence throughout this film whenever there's any commentary to be made about a woman's plight in the world. Which brings me to...

2. Gender politics. This movie is not subtle about its feminism. In ways that are sometimes a little grating, but given the times we live in, it seems like we can never over-emphasize the importance of women having their own autonomy. Needless to say, by the time we get to Marguerite's side of the story, you're going to have a pretty good idea of how this whole thing is going to go. Her chapter has much to say about how men are so oblivious about the way they view themselves in relation to the women in their lives, and believe they are the heroes, when they are so often the villains. There is nothing I find more disturbing in a movie than a rape scene, and in this film we get two. I was fascinated by all the subtleties between the two scenes: did Marguerite slip off her shoes or lose them while she was running away? Did she hold the bedroom door open or try to slam it shut? Did she scream for her servants once or twice? Did she protest mildly or vociferously? These two scenes aren't all that different, but those nuances are what build a damning case about what is the truth and what is a fantasy. And thanks to that Jodie Comer performance, Marguerite's perspective is searing and unrelenting.

3. The actors. Hands down, Jodie Comer is the best thing about this film. Of course, we then also have Damon and Driver who are no slouches. But unlike Comer, their accent work was quite abominable, with the two of them sounding increasingly American as the movie wore on. Also, the accents they were meant to have were British, which still makes no sense for a movie set in France, but that's Hollywood for you. Interestingly, the male actor that surprised me the most was Ben Affleck, who has a supporting role as Count Pierre. He kept that British accent going throughout, and served almost as comic relief, which was very entertaining in an otherwise heavy film. I don't know if he and Damon initially thought they were going to co-lead with Comer, but it was a wise decision on his part to take this role instead. Damon and Driver are perfect foils for each other, and as you watch their perspectives unfold, their "friendship" increasingly devolves into a petty, ugly thing, that culminates in the ultimate act of aggression.

Obviously, I think you should watch The Last Duel. Directed by Ridley Scott, it has a very Gladiator feel to it, with great care paid to production design. There's also a lot of attention paid to the costumes and armor being worn by these characters, and the elaborate hairstyles are also wondrous. However, this movie can get very anachronistic in terms of its tone and language. Having just read Matrix by Lauren Groff, a book that is meticulously researched and set in a similar time period, I did find the dialogue to be at times jarring. Forgive me if I don't buy that a fourteenth-century French knight would say "I'm broke" when discussing his finances. But I am not a medieval historian, so I'm willing to forgo those details in service of the larger story, which is compellingly told. You may not have heard of Lady Marguerite de Carrouges before this movie, but you won't forget her afterwards.