Sometimes all it takes is a memorable setting and simple motivations to make a story work. 1917 offers a great example: stationed near the front lines of World War I, a pair of British soldiers are sent on an urgent mission to halt a friendly regiment before it advances into a trap. Intel claims the enemy has abandoned their nearest posts, part of the ruse, and since time is of the essence, the runners are sent straight through yesterday's hostile terrain to accomplish their objective. Apart from a few minor character-related subplots and side encounters, that's really all there is to it. Get from A to B, as quickly as you can, and try not to die along the way.
This bare-bones plot allows 1917 to really focus on the gruesome scenery, and unique pressures, of life amongst the harried soldiers of the western front. Rattled and terrified as they are, our couriers must learn to trust their lives to unseen information, speed run through no man's land, escape an abandoned enemy trench system without triggering any snares and come to grips with the constant, unavoidable presence of rotting corpses around every corner. Like macabre tourists, the audience ogles at these sights and, gradually, comes to understand the sense of hopeless, mutual futility that must've been so overwhelming for these young men.
Deftly stitched together and presented as one long, uninterrupted take, the film thus feels intimate to every viewer; a truly immersive experience. The seams are there if you really want to look for them, but the effect is undeniable. We're experiencing the chaos of war in real-time. This is the kind of intense, enveloping filmmaking that'll make you hold your breath without realizing. A real audio/visual showpiece, it's also got one hell of a knack for gut punches. I don't know why I waited so long - it's exactly what I was hoping it would be.
This bare-bones plot allows 1917 to really focus on the gruesome scenery, and unique pressures, of life amongst the harried soldiers of the western front. Rattled and terrified as they are, our couriers must learn to trust their lives to unseen information, speed run through no man's land, escape an abandoned enemy trench system without triggering any snares and come to grips with the constant, unavoidable presence of rotting corpses around every corner. Like macabre tourists, the audience ogles at these sights and, gradually, comes to understand the sense of hopeless, mutual futility that must've been so overwhelming for these young men.
Deftly stitched together and presented as one long, uninterrupted take, the film thus feels intimate to every viewer; a truly immersive experience. The seams are there if you really want to look for them, but the effect is undeniable. We're experiencing the chaos of war in real-time. This is the kind of intense, enveloping filmmaking that'll make you hold your breath without realizing. A real audio/visual showpiece, it's also got one hell of a knack for gut punches. I don't know why I waited so long - it's exactly what I was hoping it would be.