A Midnight Clear

A Midnight Clear is about a group of young American soldiers towards the end of WW2, but it is not your average war movie. It has none of the usual noisy battle scenes that characterize most war movies. Instead it is a poetic and restrained drama about the meaninglessness of war.

Will Knott and the men in his group are assigned to reconnoitre a woodland area at the front where they settle in an abandonned mansion. They soon discover that they are not alone, but the small group of German soldiers do not seem to be very belligerent. On the contrary, they seem rather peaceful. No wonder the Americans have no clue what is going on.

The main drawbacks of the film are the plot, which is just a bit too thin, and some less interesting flashbacks.