Garrett Love

2/15/2021
INTL-3111-001

Despite being directly based on the short story The Guest by Albert Camus, the film Far

From Men differs significantly in its narrative, character portrayal, setting, and general themes.

The Guest is a story of an unnamed Arabic man who has been found guilty of murdering his

cousin and is being sent to face punishment for his crimes by the French. The main protagonist,

Daru, is a sort-of middleman in the prisoner's journey, and it is Daru’s task to ensure the delivery

of the prisoner to the French-occupied town of Tinguit. He is not pleased with this order

however, and sharply refuses when briefed by the prisoners original transporter, Balducci, who is

an old friend of Daru’s. Nevertheless, Balducci leaves the prisoner in Daru’s care, which is a

situation that Daru is not very pleased with. Throughout the night he wishes that the prisoner

would flee so that he could return to his quiet wintry solitude. When the morning comes, he

guides the prisoner to a forked path; one direction is Tinguit, the other is a nomadic culture that

will offer safety. Unsure with his decision to abandon the hopeless prisoner, Daru doubles back,

and when he does he sees that the prisoner is already walking towards Tinguit. Disappointed,

Daru returns home to find the words “You handed over our brother. You will pay for this”

written on his chalkboard, presumably by more Arabs.

The start of the trailer for Far From Men follows the original narrative very closely. It

shows Balducci dropping off the prisoner and Daru’s initial hesitation to take on the task. After

this point however, the story changes completely. Instead of an empty schoolhouse covered in

snow, there is a courtyard of school children and a bustling classroom, both of which are

threatened should Daru not complete his task. Continuing in this much more grave tone, Daru

and the prisoner join Balducci’s assumed band of mercenaries, who are promptly gunned down

by the French army. After what seems like an escape from the French forces, Daru and the
 Garrett Love
2/15/2021
INTL-3111-001
prisoner now appear to be outlaws who bond over their similar experiences with the cruelty of

the French. Finally, tying very slightly back into the original story, Daru sends the prisoner off,

assumedly to the nomads, after two Arab men attack his schoolhouse with the men inside. This

final attack by the Arabs also ties back to the original story, but in a much more confrontational

manner.

Overall, the two narratives are vastly different interpretations of the same story. The

original narrative, The Guest, dances around the topic of French imperialism while presenting a

character who mostly wants to keep to himself. In contrast, the film Far From Men deeply

explores the cruelty of the French army’s occupation of Algeria and the protagonist's

humanitarian effort to save the life of a prisoner with whom he not only sympathises with, but

relates to in their experiences with the French.