Subtitles:

English (burned-in), none

Extras:

• Trailers

Daniel Auteuil is excellent as Pascal, torn between his deep love for his daughter and his desire to do the right thing in society's eyes. Similarly, Astrid Berges-Frisbey (last seen as the sexy mermaid in Pirates 4) is utterly adorable as Patricia and there's terrific support from Kad Merad (heart-breaking as a middle-aged simple soul with a heart of gold), Emilie Cazenave (as Pascal's daughter Amanda, who's secretly in love with Felipe) and the always-excellent Jean-Pierre Darroussin.

The script is excellent, with elaborate, yet precise dialogue that centres around the propriety involved in doing the right thing for all concerned – the confrontations between Auteuil and Darroussin play out like duels of impossibly polite eloquence. The film is also beautifully shot, with Auteuil drenching the countryside setting in gorgeous sunlight.

A bitter class war erupts between two families after the daughter of a humble well digger is impregnated by the son of a wealthy shopkeeper. Aging widower Pascale Amoretti (Daniel Auteuil) works hard to provide for his six daughters. As the first shots of World War I are fired, his eldest daughter Patricia (Astrid Bergés-Frisbey) returns home from Paris to help raise her younger siblings. Meanwhile, Pascale wants to see Patricia marry his longtime assistant Felipe (Kad Merad), a hard worker who would make a loving husband. But shortly after arriving back home, Patricia has a fling with Jacques Mazel (Nicolas Duvauchelle), a fighter pilot from a wealthy family, who then disappears to the front lines after getting Patricia pregnant. At first, the Mazels are furious, accusing the impoverished Amorettis of using the situation to stake a claim on their fortune. When Jacques goes missing in action, however, the Mazels quickly realize that Patricia's unborn child may be their only link to the son who sacrificed his life fighting for their country.

Gary Tooze

December 15th, 2012