Jeannette: L'enfance De Jeanne D'arc (aka Jeannette: The Childhood Of Joan Of Arc) (2017)

Set in 1425 France in the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the young 8 year old Jeannette (Lise Leplat Prudhomme) tends her sheep in a small village. Unable to bear the suffering caused by the invasion of the English in France, she doesn't understand how God doesn't save France. As the years pass, the young shepherdess (now played by Jeanne Voisin) realizes it is she who must drive the English from France. Based on the 1910 play THE MYSTERY OF THE CHARITY OF JOAN OF ARC by Charles Peguy and directed by Bruno Dumont (FRANCE). On paper, the idea of a rock musical incorporating punk, heavy metal and rap about the political emergence of Joan Of Arc sounds intriguing. But I found its execution problematic. A didactic musical is never much fun although I'm sure Dumont never intended his musical to be an entertainment, much less traditional in its execution. But the music is monotonous (the beat never varies) while the "lyrics" preach its ideas relentlessly. It's the kind of movie where you can get up to go to the bathroom and when you return, they're still harping on the same subject. I didn't dislike it, it's too unique and audacious to dismiss and the cinematography of Guillaume Deffontaines is superb. An acquaintance called it a "hair banging musical" and that about sums it up. I can appreciate what it's doing but I can't say I enjoyed the experience. With Aline Charles, Elise Charles and Nicolas Leclaire.