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The Guardians

Play trailer 1:59 Poster for The Guardians R Released May 4, 2018 2h 15m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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92% Tomatometer 62 Reviews 55% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Frenchwomen maintain a farm while their husbands and sons fight in World War I.
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The Guardians

The Guardians

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Critics Consensus

The Guardians proves that the oft-unraveled canvas of World War I still has fresh stories to tell -- and adds another gorgeously filmed entry to Xavier Beauvois' filmography.

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Critics Reviews

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Philip De Semlyen Time Out Full of the sleepy rhythms of rural life, this beautiful-looking French drama has a powerful story of emancipation stitched into its period garb. Rated: 4/5 Aug 5, 2020 Full Review J. R. Jones Chicago Reader A story of women waiting for their soldiers to return, this unfolds in fairly predictable fashion, though the film's solemnity is seductive. Apr 8, 2020 Full Review Robert Daniels 812filmreviews Set in a quiet corner of France, The Guardians is a study of women, often mothers, daughters, and sisters, on the home front during World War I as they combat the everyday and the uncertainty often brought with conflict. Rated: 3/4 Aug 27, 2018 Full Review Don Shanahan Every Movie Has a Lesson hat tone of stillness wrapped around small plotlines of disquiet plods to limit most dramatic impact to mere slightness. Rated: 2/5 Oct 14, 2024 Full Review Keith Garlington Keith & the Movies A stirring World War I era story bathed in humanity and told through great performances, emotive faces and quiet communication. Rated: 4.5/5 Aug 21, 2022 Full Review Andrew Murray The Upcoming [A]n elegant portrait of everyday life in an era plagued by devastation. Rated: 4/5 Feb 9, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (14) audience reviews
John M Too long and slow.Didn't understand all the characters motivations. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 07/16/24 Full Review keith w C'est un film tres beau I find the negative audience reviews here for this beautiful film hugely disappointing. Freeze almost any frame and you find a work of art. And the story is beautifully and tacitly developed. Much is done by facial expression and incidentals rather than overt obvious dialogue - and I find this adds to the film's beauty and impact. Nathalie Baye (Hortense) is perfect in her part as the matriarch of the family farm. And I don't find this to be a feminist film at all. The women have to manage the farm themselves simply because the men are away in a wart that will inevitably damage them. Hortense's love for her two boys shines convincingly when she meets them off the train when they are on leave. My favourite scene is Hortense and her daughter Solange leaning on a fence towards the end of the film - they even look like mother and daughter. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Great!! Each scene is a painting. The colors and light enfold in a world of magical creations. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member Took a long time to say not very much. Strong central performances and good sets. But none of the cast look like peasant farmers and the plot seems to have no direction and certainly no resolution. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Paul O This isn't a film, its a postcard of turn of the century rural France. Watch French peasants cut grass (for 20 minutes,) watch peasants milk cows, watch peasants eat lunch (without dialogue) for 15 minutes. Boooring! Rated 2 out of 5 stars 10/27/19 Full Review Audience Member Definitely a French movie, stylistically, pace, etc! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/06/19 Full Review Read all reviews
The Guardians

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Cast & Crew

Foxtrot 94% 77% Foxtrot Watchlist TRAILER for Foxtrot Novitiate 86% 68% Novitiate Watchlist TRAILER for Novitiate Happening 99% 78% Happening Watchlist TRAILER for Happening Steaming 40% % Steaming Watchlist Loveless 94% 84% Loveless Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Frenchwomen maintain a farm while their husbands and sons fight in World War I.
Director
Xavier Beauvois
Producer
Sylvie Pialat, Benoît Quainon
Screenwriter
Xavier Beauvois, Frédérique Moreau, Marie-Julie Maille
Distributor
Music Box Films
Production Co
KNM, Pathé, Versus Production, Rita Productions, RTS - Radio Télévision Suisse, Les Films du Worso, Orange Studio, France 3 Cinéma
Rating
R (Some Violence and Sexuality)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
French (France)
Release Date (Theaters)
May 4, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 28, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA)
$161.3K
Runtime
2h 15m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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