Justin the Just
Eric Barbier's historical fable about a peasant drafted in 1915 who discovers the absurdity of the First World War and rebels against the injustices of military command.
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Our review
Justin the Just: Alban Ivanov Finds Real Weight Amid the Absurdity
Justin the Just works best when it fully embraces being a fable rather than a historical reconstruction determined to teach a lesson. Alban Ivanov surprises with his restraint, Birane Ba gives him an equally strong partner, and Eric Barbier makes the mud, cold and violence tangible enough to keep the whimsy grounded. The message grows more insistent and the storytelling less fluid in the second half, but the film's core survives: a man learning the words he needs to understand that obedience and justice are not the same thing.
PROS
Alban Ivanov successfully changes register without losing the innocence that makes Justin work.
Birane Ba gives the central partnership depth and keeps the fable from resting on one character alone.
Cinematography, production design, costumes and the physicality of the trenches give the story real weight.
CONS
The screenplay sometimes underlines its humanism and injustices instead of trusting the situations to speak for themselves.
The shift from picaresque adventure to a more overtly political story creates a noticeable change in rhythm.