Les gardiennes (2017)

Women are left behind to work a family farm during the Great War.

Director:

Xavier Beauvois

Writers:

Xavier Beauvois (scenario), Frédérique Moreau (scenario)

Stars:

Nathalie Baye, Laura Smet, Iris Bry

11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nathalie Baye	...	Hortense Sandrail
Laura Smet	...	Solange
Iris Bry	...	Francine Riant
Cyril Descours	...	Georges Sandrail
Gilbert Bonneau	...	Henri Sandrail
Olivier Rabourdin	...	Clovis
Nicolas Giraud	...	Constant Sandrail
Mathilde Viseux	...	Marguerite Sandrail (as Mathilde Viseux-Ely)
Xavier Maly	...	Edgar
Marie-Julie Maille	...	La Monette
Madeleine Beauvois	...	Jeanne, la fille de la Monette
Alain Artur	...	Le maire
Adrien Denizou	...	Le maire de la Monette
Yann Bean	...	John - un soldat américain
Michel Lamy	...	Le père

Storyline

1915. Life at the Paridier farm has changed dramatically since the men of the family (Constant, Georges and Clovis) left home to go and fight on the front line. Hortense Sandrail, Henri and Constant's mother and Clovis' mother-in-law, has taken over courageously but, although helped by her daughter Solange, she finds it hard to get by with all the workload. When harvest time comes, she makes up her mind to hire a farmhand but she is too late and no man is available. The mayor then recommends her an orphan named Francine Riant, who could do. Hortense agrees and the choice soon appears a blessing, as the girl proves perfect: well-mannered and respectful, she is also a hard worker who does not balk at any task. Hortense, Solange and her form an effective trio, who make the most of the situation. One day, Georges comes back to the farm on leave and he falls in love with Francine.

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Plot Keywords:

widows | countryside | ww1 | pregnancy | f rated | 

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Taglines:

France 1915. Men on the battlefield. Women on the homefront.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some violence and sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site [France]

Country:

France Switzerland

Language:

French

Release Date:

4 May 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Les Gardiennes

Filming Locations:

Montrol-Sénard, Haute-Vienne, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,479, 6 May 2018, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$177,331, 13 September 2018

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films du Worso,Pathé,France 3 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (as Dolby 5.1)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie starring Nathalie Baye and her real life daughter Laura Smet was released the very same day Johnny Halliday died. He was the ex husband of the first and the father of the second.

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Soundtracks

Amours fragiles
Lyrics by Alexandre Trébitsch
Music by Harry Fragson
(1899)
Sung by Iris Bry in the final ball scene

User Reviews

Beautiful, subtle film about women's day to day during First World War

Xavier Beauvois just does the most beautiful films. As with Of Gods and Men, The Guardians is full of quiet dignity and humanity, and it gets the emotions just right. There are so many films about the battlefront, it's great to see one focussed on the scene back home and on women's work, their hopes, their endurance, their grief, and even their betrayals. The pace is slow, and follows the events of the narrative as much as the seasons and the labour they entail. Beauvois is someone who takes the time to show people who are not often seen on screen go about their everyday life, their toil. When do we get to see women shovelling dirt, feeding fodder to cattle, or doing the harvest? It's sometimes hard to believe this takes place between 1916-20 and the contrast with our post-post-modern world is all the more valuable. We're lucky that a director of such talent chooses topics like this for his work.