Starring: Sami Bouajila, Eriq Ebouaney, Samy Seghir
Directed by: Julien Leclercq
In this taut French action-thriller, Earth and Blood (La Terre et le Sang) follows Saïd, a solitary sawmill owner with a dark past and a deep love for his daughter Sarah, who is hearing-impaired. Life in the secluded forest seems quiet—until a desperate young employee brings chaos to Saïd’s doorstep by hiding a cache of cartel cocaine inside the mill.

With violent gang members on their trail, Saïd is forced into a deadly cat-and-mouse game across the woods. Using his knowledge of the terrain and cold determination, he sets deadly traps and strikes with brutal precision. As bullets fly and blood is shed, the forest turns into a war zone, and Saïd must protect his daughter at any cost.

Minimal dialogue, relentless pacing, and brutal realism make Earth and Blood a raw, stripped-down action film with a father’s fierce love at its core.