THE WHITE KNIGHTS (LES CHEVALIERS BLANCS) World Cinema

From joyful creation to maddening self-destruction, entangled family dramas have held recurring prominence in the works of award-winning Belgian filmmaker Joachim Lafosse (OUR CHILDREN, AFI FEST 2012). In THE WHITE KNIGHTS, Lafosse’s latest project unveiled at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, duplicitous adults willingly compromise basic moral obligations as parents and guardians to the young. The actual crisis that inspired this narrative dates back to 2007, when aid workers posing as members of a charitable French NGO were arrested for attempting to traffic 100 children out of war-torn Africa. The intention was to save innocent lives in the crosshairs of regional military conflict and then deliver them to awaiting foster homes in France. Spontaneous and brisk, rhythmic and unpretentious, Lafosse’s visual finesse never intrudes on the incredible story behind the Zoé’s Ark controversy, allowing a resonant message to emerge. –Wonsun Choi