Not to spoil your experience, but 1917 is the story, based on truth, of two young soldiers stuck in the trenches of Europe who are told that they must undertake a dangerous journey to tell another division of soldiers not to attack at dawn the next day - because that division were being lured into a trap. If they attack, the "Huns" will massacre them.
The pounding motive for this daring act for one of the young soldiers is that his brother was in that division and would die. He's running to save a brother's life.
The seamlessness of the film is the first thing we notice - there are few "cuts" - it's as if we are constantly with these two men; then one.
Visceral danger
Life in the trenches was dangerous and exhausting. At any time you could be attacked, and the sights and smells of death were ever present. The film allows you to experience trench warfare in a way that puts you right there - it's tension every moment of the film, except for the odd moment of reprieve. Blossoms falling, American soldiers singing and meeting a fearful woman and little child provide a few moments of rest in the relentless tension stirred up by a fitting musical score.
Why watch?
So why watch this film? War buffs will love it, no doubt. But its greater value lies in reminders to a soft culture of the realities of normal life in a fallen world.
What do I mean? We in the West live exceedingly easy lives. We have every material need met - and more. We live in peace. We have police that don't ask for bribes and politicians who - whatever we may say - are roughly honest. When we are ill we can go to a hospital or see a doctor. We eat like ancient kings.
Does this lavish lifestyle do us any good? I would not want to live in a war torn country, but the consequence of living in times of such great ease are that we become complacent, ungrateful and self-centred. We also find it hard to persevere through trials because we have endured such little hardship by comparison with other generations.
Why fifteen year olds?
They can't help it, but our young people today have no clue as to what life is like in most other parts of the world. They have not experienced war or any other kind of deprivations. What this film may do is to show them, by mighty contrast, what life was like for so many young people in war, and what life is like for many young people in the world today.
Our Need of History
It's why we need to read history. Otherwise we think that our little bubble world is all that there is. We judge the world by today, we become extremely narrow in our concerns and projects and moralities. We become monochrome Greta Thurnbergs, wrapped up only in the issues of our blip in time and space. (If the young lady in question was born in an African village, global warming would be her very last interest and concern).
Why we need the Old Testament
It's one reason we need to read the OT, to read the violence and wars and horror. None of this has gone away, our world is and always will be filled with it - even though it may personally pass us by.
1917 is rated 15, so that's why I would encourage every 15 year old, but not below, to see it. But it's a good film to watch for 25, 35, 45, 55, 65, 75, 85.... year olds who live in a soft culture.
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