The Guardians

R

Released May 4, 2018

2h 15m

Drama

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List

94%

62 Reviews

Tomatometer

55%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

Frenchwomen maintain a farm while their husbands and sons fight in World War I.

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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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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

Andrew Gaudion

THN

For those looking for a change of pace, place and focus, The Guardians offers a sensitive and gorgeous portrayal of a war-time experience which is often overlooked, but no less devastating.

Rated: 4/5

Aug 30, 2020

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Audience Member

Definitely a French movie, stylistically, pace, etc!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/06/19

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Audience Member

Beautifully shot but mysognistic and depressing story line Again !!!

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/25/23

Full Review

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Xavier Beauvois

Director

Nathalie Baye

Hortense Sandrail

Laura Smet

Solange

Iris Bry

Francine Riant

Cyril Descours

Georges Sandrail

Gilbert Bonneau

Henri Sandrail

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94%

77%

Foxtrot

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86%

68%

Novitiate

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99%

77%

Happening

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95%

83%

Loveless

95%

73%

Marguerite

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The Guardians: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Frenchwomen maintain a farm while their husbands and sons fight in World War I.

Director: Xavier Beauvois
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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