The Last Duel, ultimately, is a tragic exploration of how men treat women as an afterthought by the men who have built an abusive culture around them. The plot centers around the sexual assault of Marguerite de Carrouges (Jodie Comer) by the squire Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver), which in turn prompts her offended husband Jean Carrouges (Matt Damon) to challenge the offender to a duel to the death. Along the way, the film explores the way simple cruelty has become the norm; this is especially reflected in the flighty Count Pierre d'Alençon (Ben Affleck), who lords control over their local province, and ensures the people facing consequences for their actions, like Jacques, are few and far between.
Ben Affleck, who co-wrote the film with Matt Damon and Nicole Holofcener, spoke about the process of telling such a story, and why it is so important to highlight and contextualize to today's audience, during a press conference for The Last Duel, which was attended by CBR.
Ben Affleck's Pierre is a detestable, little man, always seen drinking and belittling others and very openly treating women as brief pastimes, if they're worth noticing at all. But because he's a man of power and influence, those around him protect his choices, laugh off his actions, and contribute to a morally bankrupt world. With the reckoning of abusive men still very much playing out in the world of entertainment, The Last Duel's 14th-century backdrop, according to Affleck and his fellow writing team and cast, allows the film to shine a uniquely harsh light on today's culture of assault and the protectionism of the powerful.
Reflecting on the decision to explore the idea of systemic abuse, Affleck said the film addressed the bigger question of how toxic values are fostered in a society, as much as any one person's villainy. "This predominant culture is what produced these values," Affleck said, "in how it educates people, in what it rewards socially, and in terms of the behavior it encourages. The character I play is a villain, but it’s more about where Adam [Driver]’s character is -- how he’s taught to behave and what he’s rewarded for -- than it is about the essential nature of his character.
"In other words," he continued, "people can be changed and created by these large institutions. That’s the value system that we wanted to indict."
Speaking of that focus, and the sensitive nature of the story, Jodie Comer continued, saying, "The sad part is that this story is relevant. " As such, she said, it was important to her that particularly the scenes involving sexual assault could not be gratuitous, that they had to be in service of moving the story forward. "Many people who will watch this film, sadly, will relate to it," she said. "That can be difficult to execute and it can be difficult to watch. But I believe we shouldn’t shy away from it for that reason, as long as it’s handled with care."
Directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon, Jodie Comer, Adam Driver, and Ben Affleck, The Last Duel is set to arrive in theaters on Oct. 15.