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Introduction

Italy, Belgium, USA, Canada / 2024 / 89 min
Director：Roberto MINERVINI

In 1862, a volunteer regiment from the Union is tasked with a reconnaissance mission in the northwest frontier of the United States. The diverse group includes young and old, the devout and the unbelieving. Most lack experience with firearms, forget about having ever killed anyone. However, the real enemies they face are endless monotony and the persistently harsh climate of the northwest. They grapple with doubts about God's existence, debate about good and evil, and try to understand their growing sense of disillusionment, and it almost feels as if battle will never come. Italian director Roberto Minervini, who has spent over twenty years depicting overlooked peripheries of America, chooses to focus on the Civil War in this film. Minervini’s favorite themes of faith, dreams, hope, class, and community—elements that have shaped the identity of the United States—are explored in a slightly different manner in this period piece. The film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Best Director award.

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