Denis’s rarely screened second feature introduces her deep and abiding interest in black immigrants in France, as well as marking her first collaboration with key actor Alex Descas (I CAN’T SLEEP, TROUBLE EVERY DAY, 35 SHOTS OF RUM), whom she has called her muse. Filmed in a documentary-like, hand-held style, the story centers on the bond between two black men, the volatile African Dah (de Bankolé) and the quietly intense West Indian Jocelyn (Descas), who are hired by a sleazy French restaurateur (Jean-Claude Brialy) to stage illegal cockfights. The distinction between man and animal becomes muddier as the fights become bloodier and Jocelyn becomes distracted from his rigorous training regimen by the boss’s alluring wife (Solveig Dommartin).