1917 begins and ends at a tree. In the middle is war and death and hell; in the middle is also heroism and sacrifice and courage. Which wins? The latter one, the victorious one, the one that speaks of hope and a future.
But as one character says near the end: ‘Hope is a dangerous thing.’
Sam Mendes’ Oscar-winning 1917 is about the futility and fragility of hope in a fallen world, particularly in the midst of war. It follows – in the truest sense of the word – two soldiers for a few hours. They’re on a mission, passed down from above. They must get to Colonel Mackenzie, and they must tell him to halt a scheduled attack. And they must all this before it’s too late, before 1,600 soldiers’ lives are in jeopardy.
