Private Peaceful (FILM REVIEW)
Private Peaceful
Film Review
by Kam Williams
Headline:
Siblings Fall for Same Lass in Incestuous Romance Drama
Tommo (George
MacKay) and Charlie Peaceful (Jack O’Connell) had a healthy sibling rivalry
while growing up in Devon at the dawn of the
20th Century. The brothers were raised on a sprawling country estate
owned by a family of aristocratic Brits.
Their father (Stephen
Kennedy) was employed there as both gamekeeper and forester. In that capacity,
he was able to afford to send his sons to a private school run with an iron
fist by a sadistic headmaster (Richard Griffiths), a retired military colonel.
Everything changes
when their dad dies in a logging accident. Since their homemaker mother (Maxine
Peake) can no longer afford the rent or tuition, they soon lose the only life
they’ve ever known. More importantly, the pubescent adolescents have to leave
behind Molly (Alexandra Roach), a beautiful classmate both have a crush on.
Despite moving away,
Tommo and Charlie venture back as teens to frolic in the forest with the
irresistible object of their affection. A bit of a tease, Molly initially
refuses to pick between her ardent admirers, instead only promising to marry one
“Mr. Peaceful” while assuring that “We’ll be happy until the day we die.”
This is the premise
underpinning Private Peaceful, a bittersweet love story based on Michael
Morpurgo’s young adult novel of the same name. The book was previously adapted
into a play which debuted at the Royal Theater in 2004.
Directed by Pat
O’Connor (Sweet November), the screen version is an intriguing romance drama
which takes a sharp turn about midway through when Tommo and Charlie enlist in
the army and ship off to serve their country in Flanders’ fields. However,
there remains concern about Molly who’d announced her unplanned pregnancy shortly
before the outbreak of World War I.
Who’s the daddy? Will
the Peacefuls survive? These are the pivotal questions left to be addressed between
bombs bursting in air. Trench warfare as the backdrop for a tawdry love
triangle about as incestuous as it gets.
Very Good
(3 stars)
Unrated
Running time: 102 minutes
Distributor: BBC America
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