Stunning!

Rating: 10/10 (11 January 2020)

It was ... stunning. First, the claustrophobic recreation of the trenches and the horror of the battlefield were so realistic, I SWEAR I could smell the death. (I realized early on that seeing it at a theatre that served food wasn't the wisest idea!) The most striking feature was the nearly 2 hour continuous, seamless take, which meant my heart was pounding and my throat was tight from 5 minutes in when they received their assignment. Added to that was the subtle scoring between the moments of the "hottest" action which was frequently just one continuous chord that just felt like the tension was getting more and more taut, to the point of strangulation. Aside from four recognizable faces in VERY brief cameos, the use of unknowns was also effective, kind of reflective of the anonymity of the common soldier. I can't recommend it highly enough!!!