NR | 1h 38m | War | 2024
The atrocities of World War I have largely been forgotten. While Chinese propaganda films continually promoted awareness of the “Rape of Nanjing” during World War II to stoke anti-Japanese prejudice, the “Rape of Belgium” during WWI has faded from the general public’s memory.
Although both sides mutually recognized the Benelux nations’ (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg) neutrality, Germany invaded anyway, hoping to flank the French. The Belgian citizens in their path suffered horribly, much like Leonard Lambert’s fictional family. Lambert is a widowed farmer, but he reluctantly assumes command of the ad-hoc resistance in Julien Hayet-Kerknawi’s Belgian-produced, English-language film, “The Last Front.”
Lately, parenting his rebellious son Adrien (James Downie) has been challenging for Lambert (Iain Glen). He has no intention of organizing a militia to fight the invading Germans. Tragically, the war comes to him when Germans arrive at his farm.
Adrien Lambert’s secret fiancée Louise Janssen (Sasha Luss) witnesses the shootings while hiding in the barn with the family’s farmhand, Fergal (Kevin Murphy). Together they tend to the wounded Johanna, while Lambert races to warn the village, still believing his daughter is dead. Once there, he assumes the mantle of resistance leader. He takes charge of the cache of weapons the village priest, Father Michael (David Calder), had the foresight to collect and hide in the church’s crypt.
Throughout the film, faith plays an important role in sustaining the villagers during a time of dire crisis. Indeed, Father Michael is a refreshing and increasingly rare example of a positive cinematic depiction of a priest or minister. Calder’s performance is dignified and inspirational, but still believably grounded and relatable on a human level.
Fathers and Sons
Both Brenninkmeyer and Anderson are memorably cast as the father and son Von Rauch officers. They don’t just embody filial dysfunction. They represent the generational divide, between the Old World Junker military establishment and the angry German WWI veterans, primarily from the junior ranks, who later coalesced into the core of Hitler’s initial followers.
Indeed, Brenninkmeyer (German-speaking Dutch, born in London) expresses the traditional German officer’s revulsion at his son’s brutality. He fears it might be spreading throughout their company. It’s a subtle but haunting performance that takes on greater resonance in light of the horrific German history that followed.
Conversely, Joe Anderson (American) is quite chilling as his vicious son. Regardless of their nationalities, most of the supporting cast look appropriately hardscrabble and world-weary in their roles as villagers. However, some of the teens do not quite look or feel like they belong in the era.
Even though it is set during WWI, Hayet-Kerknawi gives viewers a visceral taste of house-to-house urban warfare. Many scenes were filmed on location in the old quarter of Lier, Belgium, which appears unchanged since well before the 1910s’. Gunsmithing pedants might question the efficacy of Father Michael’s stash of uncleaned firearms. But for the sake of realism, Hayet-Kerknawi often shows them jamming on Lambert and his fellow partisans, including Fergal, Maes (Sam Rintoul) and Nicholas (Steve Armand), who join them from the village.
Real history inspires Hayet-Kerknawi’s narrative, which he and co-screenwriter Kate Wood expanded from his 2015 Cannes-selected short film, “A Broken Man.” It addresses meaty themes with great sensitivity, including faith, family, and community. Hayet-Kerknawi gives several characters voice-over monologues that are somewhat over-written, but the drama is always compelling, and the battle scenes are impressively staged.
It’s almost criminal how misunderstood WWI remains, especially considering how greatly it reshaped the international balance of power. The term “Rape of Belgium” likely holds no special meaning for many students, which is a shame.
Hayet-Kerknawi vividly captures the horror and the heroism of that dark period of history. Recommended as an engaging war film, “The Last Front.”
