French film presents uncompromising view of war

CANNES, France, May 23 (Reuters) French director Bruno Dumont says he is not seeking to lecture filmgoers but to ''touch the heart'' with his film ''Flanders'', an exploration of war and its effect on those who fight and those left behind.

Farm children Barbe and Demester grow up in the chilly flat landscapes of northern France. They have unpassionate sex in the fields but do not talk about their feelings until the day Demester is called in to fight a war in a distant country.

Dumont does not define the cause or location of this war, but the desert landscapes and villages in which Demester is attacked by snipers will be seen by audiences as an immediate allusion to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dumont said it was up to the viewer to draw conclusions.

''My work is one of evoking, of suggesting. I don't want to tell the exact story but work on the feeling of war,'' Dumont told reporters in Cannes, where his film is showing in competition for the main ''Palme d'Or'' prize.

''It's not the Iraq war that interests me. The Iraq war happened over there,'' he said, speaking in French.

''I think television does not represent war. You can get fed up with war on TV. So the work of the filmmaker is to shed a different light on the role of war.'' The world of Demester (Samuel Boidin) and his fighting friends becomes shattered through their traumatising experience in the hot desert war.

But Flanders focuses as much on what happens to deserted Barbe (Adelaide Leroux), thousands of kilometres away from the fighting on her chilly farm where she suffers from the absence of her friends.

''To be a good filmmaker you have to have a good knowledge of human nature,'' Dumont said, noting he did not want to teach lessons with his film.

''I'm trying to touch the heart of the viewer.'' POLITICAL CINEMA Dumont's examination of personal traumas linked to war competes with more blatant political films at Cannes, such as Richard Linklater's take on America's ''Fast Food Nation'' and Ken Loach's ''The Wind That Shakes The Barley'' on Ireland's struggle for independence.

Dumont caused a stir at Cannes in 1999 when his amateur stars were crowned with the best actor prizes for his film ''Humanity'' -- the disturbing portray of an emotionally cool policeman who is researching a rape case.

Dumont said it was important for him to work with actors from his home region in northern France, where many of his films - like Flanders - are set.

''The landscape is the basis of my story. It's the determining aspect. It's what inspires me,'' he said.

First-time actress Leroux said playing in familiar territory had helped her shooting the film.

''I think it's important to be part of the landscape. It helps you understand the story and develop the characters.'' REUTERS SHR PM1908