Review of Joyeux Noel

This was one of the most moving and powerful films I have ever seen. It speaks to the pointlessness of war without being at all typical to our American views of pacifism. It is beautiful and magnificent, with some incredible performances, especially by Daniel Bruhl, Guillaume Canet, and Gary Lewis. Set on Christmas Eve in 1914, during World War I, soldiers from France, Scotland, and Germany sing Christmas carols together, share champagne and chocolate, and say mass before returning each other's dead the next day. The difficulty comes when their commanding officers order them to shoot shortly after this incident and none will, having looked their enemies in the face, exchanged addresses, and learned stories from their enemies' lives. War becomes a shared human experience resulting in a bond that cannot be explained to church officials, country leaders, or even each other. This film is an experience that leaves you reeling and thinking about those whom we (Americans) slaughter abroad, how they all have faces, stories, and purposes. You will leave the theater and not know quite what to do with yourself! Everyone should see this film once; no other film could ever live up to the humanly universal experience that this film depicts.