– By Cate Marquis –
COME WHAT MAY shines spotlight on French civilians displaced by WWII
Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars
In an unusual take on the World War II movie, French director Christian Carion focuses on a group of French villagers attempting to flee on the eve of the German invasion, in COME WHAT MAY. Carion directed JOYEUX NOEL, the crowd-pleasing film about the real World War I “Christmas Truce,” when some soldiers on both sides called a one-day unofficial truce. Carion’s new film, in French with some German and English and with subtitles,centers on a group of people whose stories are drawn from those of real civilian refugees. It is a well-made historical film with a talented international cast, fine period detail and filmed in lovely rural locations but the story leans towards the sentimental and conventional.
Carion co-wrote the film, which opens (and closes) with photos of real French refugees and a few words about their struggles, plus a dedication to the director’s mother, who was among those who fled the Nazi invasion. The historic drama sports a score by Oscar winner Ennio Morricone. The story begins with an anti-Nazi resistance fighter, Hans (August Diehl), who flees his native Germany with his young son Max (Joshio Marlon), and hides out in a northern French village, where they posies as Belgian refugees. When his true nationality is discovered, Hans is jailed in Arras but his frightened son is taken in by the village’s young teacher Suzanne (Alice Isaaz). As word of an impending German invasion reaches the village, the villagers decide to flee to the south of France, led by their steady mayor Paul (Olivier Gourmet) and his likable wife Mado (Mathilde Seigner). Meanwhile, facing the invading German army, the jailers in Arras release their prisoners to fend for themselves, and Hans goes in search of his son, with the help of a stranded Scottish officer named Percy (Welsh actor Matthew Rhys), who is desperate to rejoin the British forces.
READ THE FULL REVIEW AT WE ARE MOVIE GEEKS:
http://www.wearemoviegeeks.com/2016/09/come-may-review/
