This movie is about Two young British lance corporals during World War I who are assigned to deliver a message through enemy territory and reach a British battalion in the war front. The message, orders the commanding officer to put on hold their imminent attack because they are being led into a trap by the Germans.
This movie was written and directed by Sam Mendes, and the story is inspired by Mendes’ grandfather, who fought in WWI from 1916-1918 when he was 16 years old. This movie has been called a single shot featured film, a simulated single shot movie similar to the opening sequence in Birdman (2014). 1917 doesn’t feel like a conventional war movie, especially since there isn’t a deep pool of WWI movies out there or a WWI movie that expresses the significant human experience of the First Great War, which I sense is what 1917 attempts to express.
George MacKay and Dean Charles Chapman deliver strong performances, however, as a whole, the film neglects to develop the characters, opting for visuals and long takes. The scenes where the corporals are moving through the trenches are the most remarkable and unique. 1917 is a daring film and aesthetically pretty. On the other hand, there is a sense of relevance within the conditions and political climate that led to WWI and the current European geopolitical climate. There seems to be many similarities in this European notion of National Identity, that swept Europe during the early 1900s, and it is threatening to sweet Europe once again. Which is something that filmmakers, artists, as well as celebrity figures should address before it leads to significant conflicts as it once did a century ago. This film, however, fails to address those issues, focusing mostly on the raw and obscene nature of war, but not the conditions that led to war. Nevertheless, 1917 is a visually stunning and compelling film. An important film to be precise.
Three out of Five Popcorn Bags 🍿🍿🍿
Rod Rioja 