Merry Christmas (Joyeux Noel)

Reviewed by:
Pete Hammond

If the idea of seeing a yuletide-set World War I film with subtitles doesn't rock your boat, we promise that after you see this extraordinary Oscar-nominated epic from France, you'll agree it's this year's best reason for celebration—holiday season or not. It's that rare achievement moviegoers around the world should be deeply thankful for, a richly entertaining and remarkable film that manages to reveal the humanity in all of us. The film is based on a true incident in which French, German, and English soldiers fighting each other on the front lines in 1914 decide to risk court martial—or worse—and call a one-night Christmas Eve truce. This simple act demonstrates a clear reason why sometimes the "rules of engagement" should be broken despite what "superiors" far from the battlefields dictate. Sporting a flawless international cast, Merry Christmas might not change minds about the necessity of war, but it shines a bright light on the shared humanity of the warriors. That's a lesson worth remembering in any era. Don't dare miss it.

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