In one of the last days of the First World War Edouard Péricourt (Nahuel Perez Biscayart) gets his face seriously disfigured in saving his fellow soldier Albert Maillard (Albert Dupontel). The two of them were sent on a senseless mission, aiming above all at a promotion for their commanding officer Pradelle (Laurent Lafitte).
After the war Pericourt and Maillard keep in touch with each other and start a trade / scam in War memorials. Ultimately this will bring them in to contact again with Pradelle, who in his turn scams with war graves.
Films about the First World War are still outnumbered by those about the Second World War, but they are no longer exceptional. After classical movies such as "All quiet on the Western front" (1930, Lewis Milestone) and "Paths of glory" (1957, Stanley Kubrick) the First World War became again a subject from 2014 (centenary commemoration of the start of the war) onwards. Recent films about the First World War are "They shall not grow old" (2018, Peter Jackson) and "1917" (2019, Sam Mendes).
"Au revoir là haut" plays for the biggest part in the aftermath of the First World War. In this respect one may be tempted to see it as the counterpart of the Second World War movie "The best years of our lives" (1946, William Wyler) In my opinion this is not the right comparison. "The best years of our lives" is a serious movie while "Au revoir là haut" is rather absurdist. Maybe a better comparison is with "La vitta è bella" (1997, Roberto Benigni), a film trying to combine the Second World War with the comedy genre.
In 1997 this led to much commotion, in 2017 much less so. The passing of twenty years has apparently reduced the sensitivity surrounding the two World Wars. Keep however in mind that in France the sensitivity surrouding the First World War (la Grande Guerre) is no less than that surrounding the Second World War.
Last but not least, there is a father - son theme hidden in this comedy / war film. Because of his mutilation Edouard Pericourt cuts the family ties after the war. "Between the lines" you can however also "read" that the combination banker (father) and artist (son) was not a lucky one before the war. At the end of the film father and son reunite. This side plot made me think of the Dutch film "Karakter" (1997, Mike van Diem), although in this film the father - son relationship is the main theme.
After the war Pericourt and Maillard keep in touch with each other and start a trade / scam in War memorials. Ultimately this will bring them in to contact again with Pradelle, who in his turn scams with war graves.
Films about the First World War are still outnumbered by those about the Second World War, but they are no longer exceptional. After classical movies such as "All quiet on the Western front" (1930, Lewis Milestone) and "Paths of glory" (1957, Stanley Kubrick) the First World War became again a subject from 2014 (centenary commemoration of the start of the war) onwards. Recent films about the First World War are "They shall not grow old" (2018, Peter Jackson) and "1917" (2019, Sam Mendes).
"Au revoir là haut" plays for the biggest part in the aftermath of the First World War. In this respect one may be tempted to see it as the counterpart of the Second World War movie "The best years of our lives" (1946, William Wyler) In my opinion this is not the right comparison. "The best years of our lives" is a serious movie while "Au revoir là haut" is rather absurdist. Maybe a better comparison is with "La vitta è bella" (1997, Roberto Benigni), a film trying to combine the Second World War with the comedy genre.
In 1997 this led to much commotion, in 2017 much less so. The passing of twenty years has apparently reduced the sensitivity surrounding the two World Wars. Keep however in mind that in France the sensitivity surrouding the First World War (la Grande Guerre) is no less than that surrounding the Second World War.
Last but not least, there is a father - son theme hidden in this comedy / war film. Because of his mutilation Edouard Pericourt cuts the family ties after the war. "Between the lines" you can however also "read" that the combination banker (father) and artist (son) was not a lucky one before the war. At the end of the film father and son reunite. This side plot made me think of the Dutch film "Karakter" (1997, Mike van Diem), although in this film the father - son relationship is the main theme.