Iain Glen, Sasha Luss and James Downie star in THE LAST FRONT
Raquel Laguna/ SUCOPRESS. Iain Glen, Sasha Luss and James Downie star in THE LAST FRONT, directed by Julien Hayet-Kerknawi. In this interview, the actors talk about their characters in the film and about working with Julien. In THE LAST FRONT, in a Belgian village during the tumultuous start of World War I, the Lambert family finds themselves thrust into the heart of the conflict. At the center is Leonard Lambert (Glen), a devoted husband and father who grapples with protecting his family amidst the chaos of war as German forces advance to their village. Amidst the war, a tender love story blossoms between Adrien Lambert, Leonard's son, and Louise Janssen, a local villager. Their relationship serves as a beacon of hope and resilience in the face of adversity. With its compelling portrayal of familial bonds, love amidst chaos, and the indomitable human spirit, THE LAST FRONT promises to immerse audiences in a gripping tale of survival, love, and the enduring impact of war on both individuals and communities.
Transcript
00:00you know, it's a stunning role, it's a wonderful role in that it's got a great kind of journey
00:07within it. And, you know, selfishly as an actor, there's a, you know, that's kind of what you're
00:14looking out for. It just felt very real to me, the story, it felt, the characters felt very
00:20plausible, the period felt very accurately depicted. And, yeah, it's a story that's just
00:28full of humanity, I think, and full of hope, even though these kind of terrible traumas
00:34inflicted upon this village. So, in a way, you know, they all do, all the characters go
00:42through this journey. And I think that the film spends time allowing the audience to get to know
00:50them, which I think is important. We sort of, we get to know who they are before the world
00:57tilts and changes. And they're all good people. And they're all just trying to get on with their
01:02lives. And they're all, you know, dealing with the same kind of worries and concerns that we,
01:10you and I might be dealing with on any daily basis as regards our children or about our work
01:14or about our futures, whatever, and then their world is turned upside down. So, yeah, it's a
01:20lovely, touching story, I think, and screenplay, certainly, like, Sash, when I read it, I kind of
01:27thought, yeah, I'd love to be a part of this. And I was just so impressed with how the filmmakers
01:34put the whole piece together. He completely gave me freedom. You know, if you're honest,
01:40when you work with a first time director, it's a little bit of a leap into the unknown, you don't
01:45quite know how things will unfold. But he was very open to ideas. He was very open. Every time
01:53we kind of set up a new scene, we, you know, it was for us to kind of find out how we wanted to,
02:00you know, make it manifest. And well, first of all, it's the script, it's the story itself,
02:06because that's, that's where we start from as actors. And I, I just felt like it's such an
02:11important story, and beautiful, poignant story, but still, you know, like, an extremely important
02:18one. I always feel that films that touch on subject of war, you know, like loss, that
02:26as a, of course, films are entertainment, of course. But it's also a fantastic reminder and
02:32kind of a lesson of do not repeat this, stay strong, you know, good will prevail. And I found
02:39all of this in the script, and that it was extremely beautifully written. You always learn
02:45something, you know, when, when you play a character, but I guess when it came to Louise, and
02:51and a lot of time, like, during, during filming, when I was like, Oh, my God, this girl, this girl,
02:58what she's going through, but the fact that she found this strength inside of her, you know, and
03:04she was a, in the beginning of the story, she's a very delicate little flower, you know, she
03:09I don't think she ever, like, held anything heavier than a loaf of bread or something, you
03:14know, she and the fact that she herself, this girl found the strength to go on to trust people to
03:21still have hope and love. That's something that I remind myself every day, you know, like that,
03:27that's what as humans, that's what we live for. And that's what we kind of thrive for, you know,
03:31to, for good to prevail for us to find a reason, no matter how they always find a light, no matter
03:40how dark it is. I learned, I learned from Adrian that love conquers all, you know, we all have our
03:52own relationship with love. But it just, you know, it just highlights that it's, you know, it's the
03:58most powerful emotion of them all. And we will go to whatever lengths it takes to protect the ones
04:07we love. And I think it's a really beautiful thing that the film expresses. It was really
04:14refreshing working with a director who, whilst he had a very clear vision, he was very open to
04:21suggestions. It didn't really matter how we got from A to Z, just as long as we got there one way
04:29or another. So it felt like a very collaborative sort of vibe on set, which I feel like is quite
04:37rare to find in filmmaking. It's usually something you find in theatre. So that was, that was really,
04:44that was really wonderful. Something I really cherished about the job. Yeah.