In this slow-paced but gripping tale of civilian life in Nazi-occupied Belgium, 1944, a young man, François, descends into the world of the resistance, "buried alive" in a mine to avoid conscription to the Eastern Front.
Allegiances that protected him on the surface become his weakness as he tries to build trust amid paranoia and death. The film brings a sensitive and sharp focus to the appeal of extremism, the frustration of captivity and the choices faced by ordinary citizens of a provincial town. Its carefully constructed, moving portrayal of devastation is strikingly juxtaposed with the serene forest landscape and the quiet piano music that mirrors the film's emotional arc.
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