The Last Front
Directed by Julien Hayet-Kerknawi
Written by Julien Hayet-Kerknawi & Kate Wood
Starring: Iain Glen, Sasha Luss, Joe Anderson, Philippe Brenninkmeyer
Unrated
Runtime: 98 minutes
In theaters November 1

by Kevin Murphy, Staff Writer

World War I is an oft-overlooked period in historical dramatization, despite leaving enormous scars on the European continent and its people, as well as worldwide consequences that echo through today. I’m always interested in a story set during the conflict, because we see too few of them. The Last Front seems even more noteworthy because of its time and focus: at the start of the conflict, as the German military is pushing through and occupying Belgium on its way into France, before the landscape was destroyed with years of trenches and shelling and tanks. 

It promises a strong period drama, too. The approaching military unit is led by the level-headed Commander Maximillian (Philippe Brenninkmeyer), whose son, Lieutenant Laurentz (Joe Anderson), is of a more ruthless disposition. They set upon the small village that is home to farmer Leonard Lambert (Iain Glen), a widower living with his daughter Johanna (Emma Dupont) and rebellious son Adrien (James Downie), the latter of whom is in a relationship with the local doctor’s daughter, Louise (Sasha Luss). It is when these two families encounter each other that those sons both stoke the flames of conflict lit by Laurentz, resulting in a string of deaths that pushes Leonard onto a path of revenge.

Iain Glen’s performance is strong throughout, and is one of the highlights of the film. He’s especially heartbreaking in a scene where he tells his son about the lives they can’t give to the women they love, a sad warning from experience. Joe Anderson is another shining point for his performance as a sadistic and relentless young soldier who embodies the worst attitudes of the war to come and makes for a nasty villain.

If these two characters seem discordant, it’s because they are. Leonard belongs in that period drama, Laurentz belongs in a different genre of movie. Laurentz is so monstrous that he seems like a cartoon villain, murdering allies and enemies unchallenged, stretching beyond believability to a frustrating degree. It is so excessive that Leonard’s refusal to act feels ridiculous and out of place even before the arrival of the Germans. He’d be better suited facing a B-thriller villain from the next World War. It’s such a waste of a good performance by Joe Anderson. 

This isn’t helped by the film’s pacing, which is uneven and never reaches the levels of tension required to keep it from limping through its quieter stretches. Nor does it deliver on the intended themes of the impermanence of everyday squabbles in the face of longer-lasting nature, or the violence of war that is so aberrant to nature. These ideas are conveyed explicitly in melodramatic voiceovers, which are presented so awkwardly that talented delivery cannot save them, and are less clearly embodied elsewhere.

While the screenplay lacks and the characters are mismatched, the film is polished on a technical level. I have high praise for how the film looks, with gorgeous in-camera work that uses both bright sunlight and the dim firelight effectively. Filming in the villages of Belgium–some of which have been little changed since before the real-world events reflected in the film–makes for an authentic setting. It feels like a glimpse back in time in a way that is impressive and the result of meticulous effort.

As excited as I was for this, and as much as the cast does, the film ended up disappointing me because it feels like two discordant movies in one. It has lots of talent on display in so many ways and that makes it all the more frustrating in how the plot falls so far short. There is a good movie in here where Leonard and Commander Maximillian have to wrestle with each other and the inherent inhumanity of war, and an enjoyable revenge thriller where a farmer rises up against the sadistic lieutenant who torments his family and kills his neighbors. Unfortunately, The Last Front tries to do both, and can’t make the pieces fit together.