A pathway for European filmmakers to make a bigger name for themselves internationally is through the wartime drama. But not everyone can be Paul Verhoeven (Soldier of Orange being his global breakthrough in ’77), and Belgian filmmaker Julien Hayet-Kerknawi has a long way to go to reach his heights. His WWI thriller The Last Front is a respectable, overambitious effort that features two strong lead performances by Game of Thrones alum Iain Glen and site favorite model/actress Sasha Luss in a rare dramatic turn.
Writer/director Hayet-Kerknawi’s choice to highlight an especially grim period in the early days of WWI sets The Last Front apart, given that WWII and Vietnam occupy so much space already. The film takes place during an especially grim period, the “Rape of Belgium”, as German forces ignore Belgium’s neutrality by invading and occupying it as they set forth to outflank France. Glen plays widower-farmer Leonard, whose mind is turned toward his son Adrien’s (James Downie) relationship with Louise (Luss), the daughter of the town doctor, who has the nerve to show off his car around town. How dare he. But class divisions become a concern of the past when the German war machine hits their town, slaughtering every innocent in sight thanks to the mad machinations of lieutenant Laurentz (Joe Anderson), a drunken psycho with serious Daddy issues. When the violence hits home, Leonard must do whatever it takes, even take up arms, to protect the people he loves most.
The German invasion of Belgium is a brutal, ugly blemish in history where thousands of people were slaughtered, women were raped, and others deported to work camps. Hayet-Kerknawi doesn’t shy away from any of it. The Kraut forces are indiscriminate, accusing everyone they meet of being part of the francs-tireurs, guerrilla fighters who could strike at any moment. But Laurentz knows these innocent farmers aren’t rebels, he’s using it merely as a pretext for murder. His actions draw the condemnation of his father, also his commanding officer, who would prefer to move forward with as little bloodshed as possible. These conflicting ideologies between father and son can’t co-exist for long, but none of it does much to make Laurentz more than a simplistic villain.
Hayet-Kerknawi makes the most out of limited resources, but his aspirations are clearly bigger. Xavier Van D’huynslager’s cinematography give The Last Front a handsome, distinguished look considering the flat color palette and minimal exteriors. While Hayet-Kerknawi, also screenwriter on the film, struggles with clunky, melodramatic dialog in quieter moments, he corrects course when his actors are given tense, thrilling exchanges to deliver on. While Glen can’t sell the corny hallucinatory conversations Leonard has with his deceased wife (in one she’s guiding his rifle and it’s just too silly), the veteran actor comes alive when allowed to be the stoic hero the people need. Luss brings the fearlessness she’s shown in previous films into this historical context and it shows she can do more when given the opportunity. Early action sequences suffer from illogical editing choices but there’s a controlled chaos to a nocturnal shootout by fire light in the final act. Hayet-Kerkwai shows that he might be better suited to B-movie style spectacle because The Last Front comes alive the further it moves away from the restraint of historical accuracy. The more it becomes a battle between a gun-toting farmer with a vengeance and a bunch of evil Nazis, the more entertaining it is. With a bigger budget and a bit more feature experience, he could be a director whose work demands our attention.
The Last Front opens in theaters on August 9th.
