Arts & Culture

RENE CHAR, THE ACTIVIST POET

While hundreds of European artists fled to the United States during World War II, René Char became a prominent figure in clandestine actions and armed resistance in the hinterland of France´s Provence region. This film is a portrait of an activist poet. The author of Hypnos Waking took the battle name Captain Alexander. He was the leader of a local resistance network, in charge of meeting airplanes and allied parachutists landing in occupied France. The film is built out of beautifully filmed archive footage, photos, manuscripts, letters, typed texts and film clips. As a counterpoint to Char´s own voice, as he reads a few of his texts, the film´s voiceover helps us understand the man Char was during the Occupation, and his commitment to the French Resistance.