They Fight BEFORE DAWN

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray from director Jordan Prince-Wright and Well Go USA is a look at war with young men with BEFORE DAWN.

Jim Collins (Levi Miller) is a young man from the Australian outback who has decided to sign up for war on the Western Front. His father is distraught about his decision but knows he can do nothing to change his mind. Finding himself in the trenches of France, he realizes that the Germans are as dug in as his battalion in.

Making friends is a necessity but also can be heartbreaking. Jim’s pals include Thomas Nickels (Travis Jeffery) and his brother Harry (Christian Dethlefsen), Bill (Aodhan Guy), Don (Ed Oxenbould), Ned (Jordan Dulieu) and all being watched over by Lt. Longhorn (Paul Walenkamp). As the bombs keep exploding around them night and day, with the mud seeping into every part of their being, Jim refuses to change who he is.

Trying to keep his friends safe, it sometimes causes Jim to come to the reality check that war does not care who you are, who your friends are or where the munitions land. Gone from home for almost three years, Jim is determined to follow all into battle so he can get home to the people that love him.

Miller as Jim is a young man who believes that joining the fight is something he needs to do. Finding camaraderie with other young man who signed up for the war, Jim, at moments, has difficulty relating to his fellow soldiers as he feels it is necessary sometimes to put himself in the fray. Miller does a superb job of portraying this character.

Jeffery as Thomas takes to Jim right away but when the unthinkable happens, the two soldiers try to understand that in war, nothing is guaranteed. Guy, Oxenbould and Dulieu finish out the friendship, looking out for one another can be difficult when someone is just across the way trying to end everything.

Shout out to Walenkamp as the elder soldier who knows what all of this means caught up between making sure the boys stay alive and doing his duty. Sometimes it clashes and Walenkamp portrayed the clash with strength.

Well Go USA Entertainment is a theatrical and home entertainment company specializing in bringing the best Action, Genre and Independent films from around the world to North American markets. As a leader in independent film distribution, Well Go USA Entertainment’s titles can be seen across a variety of platforms including theatrical, digital, subscription and cable VOD, packaged media and broadcast television. Well Go USA Entertainment currently releases three to five films per month. To see more please visit www.wellgousa.com.

Bonus features include a Behind-the-Scenes and trailer.

Other cast include Stephen Peacocke as Cpt. Beale, Myles Pollard as Sgt. Beaufort, Tim Franklin as Big Tooth, Lawrence Murphy as Charlie, Peter Williams as Roy, and Oscar Millar as Hammond.

Miller as Jim is the main focus of the story coming from a home deep in the outback with his parents and lovely girlfriend. Deciding to go to war is not something his father understands rather wanting his son to stay home. Once Jim is deep in the trenches of French mud, it feels as if he grasps what his father was trying to tell him. At the same time, surrounded by other young men, he finds comfort in the shared situation they are all in.

What moves me about the film is knowing that these young soldiers were from such a proud era in time fighting for something greater than themselves. Their fear comes through and made my heart hurt for what these characters were experiencing. That’s how you know the cast is one that melds together so well. Making a war film is difficult enough, especially when the story deals with human emotions and director Prince-Wright has taken that all into consideration. The conflict is not only what is outside the trenches, but sometimes also what is happening in the trenches.

In the end – leave no man behind!