newcritics

My husband brought two movies home from the video store last Saturday evening. The Last Kiss, a twenty-something, angst-ridden romantic drama where all the characters are on the verge of having nervous breakdowns, in the middle of having nervous breakdowns, or too clueless to know they actually should be having nervous breakdowns, and Joyeux Noel, a gut-wrenching, heartbreaking story based on a real event from World War I.

I considered my choice. Angst-ridden or gut-wrenching? Since my husband and I don’t share the same taste in movies, I was going to be watching the movie alone, late at night. I opted for gut-wrenching. Angst could wait till Sunday afternoon.

It turned out to be the right choice.

Joyeux Noel tells the story of the Scottish, French and German soldiers who, during World War One, agree to a truce on Christmas Eve, 1914. After bloody battles that leave No Man’s Land scattered with dead bodies, each side lays down their weapons for an evening and a few days of peace, sharing champagne, chocolates and photos of their wives.

She is very beautiful.

Yes, she is. Do you have a picture of your wife?

Here she is.

Ahhhh, she’s pretty. He holds the photo up to his lips … Smooch, smooch, smooch!

They all laugh and raise their bottles.

On the German side, there is a famous tenor, Nikolaus Spink, who has been called up to be a soldier, and his partner, Anna, has joined him in the trench to sing for his men on Christmas eve. These two have a few beautiful scenes together, although I thought Spink, played by Benno Furmann was a tad melodramatic in his posture. A few times throughout the movie, he brought to mind the cartoon character, American Dad, with the same square jaw line and sense of self importance — a little melodramatic and goofy. Anna, on the other hand, played by Diane Kruger, was wonderful. Beautiful in her strength and support for Spink. In one scene where they are singing a duet, Spink’s voice falters because of the stress he’s been under and Anna sets her gaze upon him, giving him the strength to continue.

On the British side, there are two Scottish brothers who excitedly rushed off for basic training the minute they heard the war was on.

Finally! Our lives will have meaning!

When their priest witnesses their excitement at the beginning of the movie, his facial expression portends the devastation and destruction to follow. He joins them at the front, signing up to be a stretcher-bearer.

The French are led by lieutenant Audebert, whose superior officer is his father and whose wife is stuck behind enemy lines and pregnant with their first child. The lieutenant is more than aware of the futility of his mission and while giving his men marching orders, ends by saying … Just do as I say. I, too, want to be home for Christmas. His men, listening somewhat pensively, had no idea that their lieutenant had thrown up when preparing himself before coming out to speak to them.

On Christmas eve, as all of the soldiers sit in their trenches, just feet from each other, cold, lonely and dreaming of home, the priest begins to play his bagpipes. It’s a weighty, solemn scene as the other Scottish soldiers begin to sing along. When the first song comes to an end, Spink, the famous tenor, responds by singing Silent Night and slowly leaves his trench, risking being killed. Gradually, all the soldiers emerge from their trenches and end up getting to know one another. So much so, that when hostilities resume, they feel the need to protect each other, and do.

While the movie’s primary message is heartwarming and uplifting, making me proud of how human beings can choose to behave towards each other in the worst of times, it also has a dark message. No good deed goes unpunished. When the soldier’s superiors find out about the truce it is not looked highly upon and the soldiers are punished accordingly. That was devastating to me.

One of my very favorite things about watching a gut-wrenching movie late at night, all alone is that quiet time when the movie ends and the credits roll. Especially if the music that’s playing fits the movie perfectly, which the score to Joyeux Noel, composed by Philippe Rambi, most certainly did.

As Thème de l’absence washed over me, I thought about all that senseless killing so many years ago and how it’s still going on today. How, on one side, there were men who put their humanity first and came together to celebrate life. And how, on the other side, their superiors were disgusted by their behavior, accusing them of being traitorous and lowly, even in the eyes of God.

It was a depressing thought, until I remembered which side I’ve always chosen to be on. And I fell asleep listening to that beautiful music, about which one reviewer wrote…

…don’t feel shy encouraging a score that dares to impress, surprise, and touch the coldest of hearts on the coldest of all nights.

The same could be said of Joyeux Noel. Rent it. It will warm your heart. In a gut-wrenching sort of way.