Blu-ray Review: The Guardians

The Guardians is a beautiful film about a farming family in France during the World War I, showing how war affects those who remain at home as well as those who are off doing the fighting. It stars Nathalie Baye as Hortense, the matriarch who struggles to keep the family business going at a time when modernization is beginning, and Iris Bry as Francine, the young woman who is hired on for the harvest.

The film opens quietly with the camera moving over several dead soldiers on the battlefield, their faces hidden behind gas masks, smoke still present in the air. We are then taken to the farm, where Hortense works the fields. Constant, one of her sons, returns home on leave from the military, visits the school where he was employed as a teacher before the war, and spends a brief time with his family. He talks little of the war, only giving little snippets of the mood of the soldiers. The talk is more about the harvest and about modernizing the farm, getting machinery like tractors to ease Hortense’s burden. And then he is gone again. The shot of him walking away along the dirt road into the distant haze is excellent, the haze reminding us of the smoke from the first shot. He is heading back to the war, and it’s like he’s there already, as soon as his back is turned on his home, his family, and his walking into the smoke gives us the sensation that he going to his death. The shot is allowed to go on until he is out of sight, fading into a ghost-like realm. The film has many beautiful and meaningful shots like that.

When Francine, the farmhand that Hortense hires, arrives, she is accompanied by some light, innocent-sounding music from the film’s score, as if perhaps some joy has arrived to the farm. She immediately proves herself to be a diligent and conscientious worker, and we see her going about her duties on the farm, along with Hortense and Hortense’s daughter Solange (Laura Smet). The details are wonderful, and so much is shown without dialogue. But of course always in the background is the war, and thoughts of the men are in the faces of the women as they work the harvest. And suddenly Clovis (Solange’s husband) returns on leave, expressing the futility and madness of the war. It’s harsh, because every time a man is home, he knows he’ll have to soon return to the fighting. The women know it too. There is never any talk of deserting. There is a strange, quiet acceptance, as well as a fear that hangs over the home. And the longer the war goes on, the more intense that sense becomes.

Hortense’s other son, Georges (Cyril Descours), arrives from leave, and this is a moment when we see Hortense beaming with joy and pride. It soon becomes clear that Georges and Francine have taken an interest in each other, and a relationship develops. As I mentioned earlier, the film has some absolutely beautiful shots. Who thought a shot of two hands on a large rock could be so affecting? And the scene where Hortense learns that one of the men of her family has been killed is heart-rending. That entire scene is accomplished with just two short sentences. And still, the work must go on. They show resilience in the face of loss. But there is also a hardness there, which develops and ultimately affects Francine’s fate.

Special Features

The Blu-ray contains several special features, including a Q&A with director Xavier Beauvois. Beauvois talks about the book the film is based on, and about dealing with war on film. This is approximately twenty minutes. There are two interviews conducted during the French Film Festival, presented in French with English subtitles. The first is with cinematographer Caroline Champetier. She talks about how this was the first movie that Xavier Beauvois shot digitally, and how he had suggested that she explore the early works of Van Gogh before beginning work on this movie. This interview is approximately twelve minutes. The second interview is with actor Nicolas Giraud, who talks about his experience working on the film, and about the scene where he goes to the classroom. He also discusses the current problem with gun violence. This interview is approximately fourteen minutes.

The special features also contain a segment with Michel Legrand on the film’s music, as well as some of the audition footage and an interview with Gilbert Bonneau, who talks about his life. An outtake with Gilbert Bonneau is also included. And we get the film’s trailer.

There is also a booklet, which contains notes from the producer and the director, as well as an interview with the director.

The Guardians was directed by Xavier Beauvois, and was released on Blu-ray on September 11, 2018 through Music Box Films. The film is presented in French, with optional English subtitles.