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It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

A hundred years ago the worlds biggest meat grinder had it's sinister debut. A staggering amount of soldiers and civilians lost their lives in WW1. Patria is about the few volunteers in the Foreign Legion that came from neutral Holland. Considering France their second homeland, they were eager to enlist and join what was to be "A great war". In Patria it quickly becomes clear that it actually was a big disaster.Patria is a refreshingly non-heroic story, taken from letters home, written by the protagonist Arthur Knaap. It adds to the charm that most events in the film truly happened. The emphasis might be on the character and his development from an intellectual, somewhat naive boy, to a hardened soldier, numbed by the loss of his friends, but there is quite a bit of very realistic action as well. Especially the scene where there's hand to hand combat in a German trench grabs you by the throat.The makers must be History buffs, owing to the eye for detail, both in props as in small things, like the fact that every soldier is as dirty as the ground he fights for. Arthur died in the thirties from the results of gas poisoning. A hint to the rise of Hitler makes for a chilling last scene.If you (like me) are growing tired of the shiny violin soaked patriotism of most ww1 movies, and you don't mind a film deviating from the beaten track, Patria is most definitely a must see.