It takes place in the deep French countryside, just before WW1, when millions of young French man were mobilized, drafted for the war. It describes with great care, accuracy, sensitivity the feelings, sorrows, despair of those young folks and their families, before they were sent to the meat chopper, the slaughterhouse. I watched many of those topics when I was a kid. Good directing, acting, convincing performances from second rate actors, such as Gerard Darrieu who, for once, plays the main role. I crave for such stuff, where simple people are shown. It is realistic, sad, but so engrossing. Good material.
