I'm quite amazed that a great WWII-themed film as "Green Harvest" has escaped the attention of viewers and without a possible
reason (distribution problem, lack of word of mouth or something else). And truth is: I just discovered it. But here's a true story that took place in 1943 and offers a sober
and quite realistic view on how a youth resistance group in France dealt with the Nazi occupation and the consequences of such act.
An old priest (Pierre Dux) remembers the events of when a group of bright high school students fed up with their current situation as
being a nation occupied by German forces and the many restrictions imposed on their small village decided to go up in arms and fight back,
whatever it takes. Those teens were chosen by the usual groups of resistance, they were the resistance. And in the minds of a group that
just made the transition from childhood to more mature years, they still carry a great deal of innocence, and their will to see their place
and of their parents, friends and teachers free from a hostile takeover, they make use of what's available, from lessons taken from a chemistry
teacher on how to produce a bomb, or using guns from their parents.
And with such innocence, from a time where they're still used to make pranks on grown ups and themselves, slowly they realize that they
need to go a step further and that lives can and will be lost, either the soldiers or themselves, and with that comes that dawning realisation
if they're really in it for a great cause or if they might want to leave things as they are. That whole questioning that comes each challenging
moment comes by is what makes the film a very believable and poignant experience where you find yourself into their shoes.
"Green Harvest" isn't necessarily about the horrors of war but it's about the effects it has on civilian people who weren't trained
to deal with such scenario yet they are all part of it, and feel inclined to pursue a more active role in such a dangerous scenario. It's not
about the usual fighting, shooting and explosions; it's about the humanity involved in the quest for liberty and director François Villiers
made sure that the drama could speak higher than the action, which is almost non-existent.
A thrilling sequence that I'll never forget is the scene where the resistance members make a draw straw to decide who's gonna be the sole
responsible for a dangerous task, but instead of choosing the right toothpick or something, they choose a poem that is to be read at a literature
class, a teacher's task that is picked randomly by all the students and a particular poem was the selected by one of them (the teacher is
totally clueless about their game). A result is achieved but in the unexpected ways. The twists of life and fate rested upon the shoulders of
a young man.
Here's a great movie that deserves a new life and to find new audiences since it has a lot to say about life during wartime, the risks
that some youth generations had to go through, with their personal questionings and challengings, how to think on morals group and their
personal morals as well. It features early performances from Jacques Perrin ("Z", "Cinema Paradiso") and Claude Brasseur ("Band of Outsiders!").
A magnificent story about courage and fighting against the odds. 9/10.
