Love is a powerful emotion, and so is hope. You tend to cling
onto the impossible sometimes, with hope, when all around you seems
to be falling into despair.
And that's what the premise of this french movie is. It's not
really a romantic movie per se (so guys, you might want to think
twice about bringing your date for this). It's essentially a movie
about hope, about not giving up looking for the one you love,
against a backdrop of a horrific war (yes, blood, gore and limbs
all included, right from the start).
Set in France just after WWI, this movie at times resemble Courage
Under Fire, where the protagonist, played by Audrey Tautou, hunts
for the truth behind what happened to her fiance, who was part of 5
condemned men sent to the "No Man's Land" in front of enemy
trenches during WWI.
Unravelling official secrets, cover ups, seeking survivors,
listening to various interpretations of what happened during those
fateful days, chancing upon others with more vengeful intentions,
we journey from place to place with Audrey, never giving up hope,
yet when faced with irrefutable damning evidence, we ask, should we
stop, or should we still continue? We're seeking closure. Do we
know when to stop? Do we know it's indeed closure? Do we need to
see, or are we able to face up to, the truth?
I appreciate French movies for certain reasons. The language, for
one, I always admire - it's beautiful. And so is the
cinematography, be it lush fields, or bombarded lands. Audrey
Tautou doesn't carry the whole movie on her lithe shoulders, as the
supporting cast of many brings many quirky, interesting characters
to life.
Oh yes, watch out for Jodie Foster too, thought the actress looked
familiar, only managed to confirm it when the credits rolled.