No Prophet! No White Ribbon

Rating: 4/10 (2 February 2011)

I've rarely felt so strongly about my opinion (opinions are like belly buttons, everyone has one). France's THE PROPHET should have been a front runner for the Best Picture Oscar, not just the best Foreign Film. Germany's THE WHITE RIBBON is a great film. TSITE is, at best, a mediocre made-for-TV movie. That TSITE beat out, among other films THE PROPHET and THE WHITE RIBBON for the 2009 Foreign Film Oscar is yet another shame upon the Academy (add to MOONSTRUCK and DRIVING MISS DAISY).
TSITE is a plodding melodrama packaged as a crime drama. Its two hour length is padded with inconsequential banter among its main characters. It is chock full of awkward, incredible plot devises: Hero "discovers" killer in group photos; killer bated into confession; killer appears in elevator with hero, etc. Not only is it not in the same league with THE PROPHET or THE WHITE RIBBON, it is not even a good film! JUST BECAUSE ITS FOREIGN DOES NOT MEAN IT IS NOT JUNK.
If THE PROPHET had been beaten out for the best Foreign Film Oscar by THE WHITE RIBBON, I'd be in disagreement but would also be at peace. For one, its tough to compare an apple and an orange; e.g., whether one is more "orangey" or "applely" can be debated forever. On the other hand, TSITE is full of useless and/or protracted scenes and dialog, tired storyline and subplots, cardboard characters and, especially, contrived sentiment.
Life is unfair as is. TSITE's Oscar is a tragedy.