The Medieval Coexistence of Male Ego, MeToo, and the Hollywood Pivot

Feature

Nov 21

Honestly, The Last Duel is the last place one would think to look for a compelling commentary on the injustices that have led to the modern MeToo movement. After all, the Ridley Scott epic is a mercilessly violent, medieval sword and castle drama framed around male-perpetrated violence. The adaptation of Eric Jager’s 2004 book The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France is handled by a triad of writers, two-thirds of whom are Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, who also star. In fact, they’re both impressive contributors to the filmmaking community as artists, producers, and mentors. However, the optics of parts of their public profiles contrast the values of the MeToo social movement, and this creates the potential for some awkward messaging. Make of it what you will, but Affleck and Damon have unavoidable male-privilege baggage out there for public consumption. Regardless, either because of the Cambridge, Massachusetts, duo or in spite of them, The Last Duel unapologetically morphs its masculinity into a story of female strength, livelihood, and survival.

As far as those optics go, Affleck and Damon rose to fame with, regrettably, convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein himself sponsoring the very projects that led to their success. Further, a couple of years ago as the MeToo wave spilled over Hollywood, Damon made comments deemed tone-deaf and insensitive in the context of a new empathetic world. Meanwhile, Affleck himself was accused of and apologised for some more tangible improprieties. And then there's brother-friend, Casey, also in their orbit, who has had his own sins to reconcile. Thus, The Last Duel’s feminism is a curious look for the Batman and Jason Bourne heroes. However, at the end of the day, Affleck and Damon, more than most Hollywood A-listers, seem to be normal dudes – warts, missteps, and all. They appear to be down-to-earthers who come from working-class, non-showbiz backgrounds. They’ve made some mistakes and generated their own friction, but maybe, too, they’ve alertly perceived the shifting landscape of the social discussion and their responsibilities within it. How much of the social commentary in The Last Duel is theirs isn’t easy to discern, but as producers and writers, if nothing else, they’re championing and distributing the discussion into theatres.

Does their development of The Last Duel represent their own journeys to mature on a personal level, to create relevant projects, and to disentangle themselves from Hollywood’s toxic cesspool? Maybe. Hard to say. But the fact is that here we are in 2021 with a Ridley Scott-helmed epic about rival knights immersed in male ego and feudal politics of 14th century France, but the film's lasting conversation – the discussion that resonates – is one of representation and one that values, arguably above-all else, the voice and background of its female protagonist. As solid as Affleck’s and Damon’s work on the script is, during its runtime it becomes a higher-tier experience of cinema when the male voice ebbs and the production shares its voice with the nuanced writing of the third co-writer Nicole Holofcener and the star-making performance of Jodi Comer.

The Last Duel is a slyly constructed, multiple-perspective film – one of those nonlinear, Rashomon-inspired darlings that plays the film's events from one perspective (Jean de Carrouges, played by Damon), rewinds and unspools it all again from another (Jacques de Gris played by Adam Driver), and then a third time from one final point of view (Margeurite, de Carrouges’ wife, played by Comer). The re-runs of events from different vantage points feature basically the same story high-points but with different angles, deviations in performance and blocking, and new scenes to fill in character blind spots. Even amid the castles, armour, and grim themes of abuse, traces of the energy from films like 1999’s Go reside in this 14th century story of French knights, betrayals, and misogyny. This narrative style forces the viewer to take a look at The Last Duel as each new character chapter re-contextualizes the events and motives leading to the climactic duel. The approach is incredibly effective as the three leads all get thoughtful, dedicated explorations of their circumstances. However, the three perspectives poignantly crest with the thoughtful exploration of Margeurite de Carrouges’ character as more than just an object in a man’s world.

The Last Duel is a man's world, though. It’s unescapable throughout. Testosterone, sweat, and physical strength outline two-thirds of this, and Ridley Scott's gritty, knee-deep-in-the-snow-and-mud direction only amplifies the traditional machismo and violently epic flair. However, Affleck and Damon's collaboration on the script is made whole by the work of writing partner Nicole Holofcener, who came on board, largely, to write Jodi Comer's chapter. Holofcener’s contribution poises The Last Duel as an alert, tuned-in commentary on the marginalisation of women throughout European history and their overt abuse at the hands of the male ego – on both personal and systemic levels. Margeurite's story provides an unusual level of depth for female characters in medieval period films, and it elevates the film on the whole as it shows a willingness to go where other R-rated castle epics seldom have: the layered mindset and detailed lifestyle of a lady of the court. Rounds one and two of the story place the audience alongside Damon's and Driver's characters’ journeys through their testosterone fueled privilege and reputations. This sets up the stakes, optics, and belief structures leading to the duel in the final act. There is sharp writing here too. However, Margeurite and to a lesser extent the role of de Carrouge’s mom (played by Harriet Walter), reframe everything in the world of this movie. The final chapter of the movie – Margeurite’s – as much as the film relishes in two knights knocking one another’s blocks off, makes major headway in balancing the gender ledger of a male-dominated film. Further, it establishes a commentary on how little character depth has been traditionally afforded women of this genre. Margeurite’s world is fleshed out, and she becomes the most significant of the protagonists and the third critical stakeholder in the titular duel, although she herself wields no weapon.

Holofcener's writing beautifully fleshes out Margeurite’s medieval existence, bringing reality and texture to her life as a skilled woman with business sense as much as common sense. Although the law of the day sees her as property, she is a talented manager of the Carrouges’ fief. She shows layered motivations, attitudes, instincts, and loyalties despite the men and institutions of the day seeing no such value. Aside from the occasional monarch, very few female characters from this era conjure much conversation in big-budget period pieces. The three story threads unite with a scene of sexual violence that gets replayed multiple times. That unto itself may be a controversial choice, but where the men’s versions of things provide the apex of their character arcs in the climactic duel, Margeurite’s chapter reframes the whole film into a history of neglect. Affleck, Damon, Scott, and the team of producers deserve a lot of credit for farming out the screenwriting of this block of their film. In doing so, firstly, Affleck and Damon acknowledge that they can’t effectively, and probably shouldn’t, write from the female perspective. And secondly, they astutely recruit the talented Holofcener to write it.

It would be interesting to know where the idea of the imposing recurring imagery of the cathedral of Notre Dame comes from. Was it in the original book? Did it come from Affleck, Damon, or Holofcener? Or was it an idea from Scott and other collaborators? It is shown prominently in The Last Duel. Every time Damon’s curmudgeonly character rides into Paris to do some business or grumble about being wronged – representing the medieval equivalent of male privilege – the cathedral sits on the horizon of a young Paris, entrenched in the landscape as a brick and mortar representation of society’s beliefs and values. It reappears continually, presiding over the political ideology, religious leadership, and social morals of the era – and those guiding principles are embedded with misogyny, hate, and systemic discrimination. The image is such a prominent one that one can’t help but recall how just a couple of years ago Notre Dame de Paris came down, decimated by fire. It feels as if The Last Duel is begging the audience to make this connection because also a couple of years ago, MeToo brought down some entitled, powerful men who flaunted their entitlement. MeToo shook institutional culture, changed the conversation. Sexual abuse and harassment and the marginalisation of women has not gone away, to be clear. However, rebuilding a kinder world takes time – generational investment – but hopefully, new cornerstones of empathy, care, and trust of victims can be more prevalent parts of the future; although, honestly, it’s a generation away, not a year or two. Systemically, things can be rebuilt, but it begins with men of this era, changing how they communicate, and The Last Duel may be indicative of it.

Ridley Scott’s late-career marvel finds him again directing brilliant performances. The Last Duel delivers well-paced spectacle but also champions his female protagonist. He’s worked well with strong female leads throughout his career (Alien, Thelma & Louise, G.I. Jane), so Scott is a great choice to balance the action, the violence, and Margeurite’s bravery and backstory. What’s so fascinating about this though is that The Last Duel is a film through which Hollywood could pivot. The cesspool of Hollywood itself needs to deliver a narrative change. Maybe positive impacts from the MeToo and other social justice movements can already be noticed. It’s evident in some stories emerging from smaller productions, and maybe if you squint you can see some progress in Hollywood’s larger projects. Maybe, in a way, as Affleck and Damon actively try to move on from their bad headlines via quality work and support from the likes of Ridley Scott, Jodi Comer and Nicole Holofcener, so to can Hollywood. Unfortunately, the emerging concern is that with The Last Duel’s weak showing at the global box office in the early days of its release, regardless of quality, representation, or good intentions, Hollywood may actually have no desire to pivot at all without there being a return on investment.