
Attack and Retreat
1964

2019
Director
Federico Ferrone, Michele Manzolini
Runtime
70 minutes
Average Rating
No ratings yetSynopsis
July, 1941. After the beginning of the German invasion, an Italian soldier, a veteran of the colonial wars, is sent to the Soviet front. As he remembers the fairy tales his Russian mother used to tell him, the train he is travelling in crosses Europe on its way to the vast Ukrainian plains, where the enemy and a cruel winter await him… (Based on the experiences of several Italian soldiers.)
Overall Score
Fair
Category Breakdown
LGBTQ+ Representation
The film lacks explicit LGBTQ+ characters or non-heteronormative narratives. The story focuses on the soldier's internal landscape and his Russian heritage.
Gender Representation
The narrative centers on the male experience of war and the veteran soldier. While a Russian mother is mentioned, the focus remains on masculine military roles.
Racial & Ethnic Diversity
The film shows ethnic complexity through a protagonist with dual Italian and Russian identity. This disrupts monolithic European identities by blending different cultural roots.
Religious & Cultural Diversity
The story uses personal memory and fairy tales to frame the war. This approach prioritizes individual truth over state-sanctioned heroism or patriotic glorification.
Disability Representation
There is no information regarding the depiction of physical or neurodivergent disabilities in the film.
Strengths
Areas for Improvement
AI Analysis
Once More Unto the Breach is a nuanced historical drama that prioritizes psychological depth over grand nationalist narratives. It succeeds by exploring the intersection of a soldier's colonial past and his Russian maternal roots, offering a culturally blended perspective on the Soviet campaign. However, the film remains limited by a traditional focus on masculine military roles and a lack of queer representation. The narrative architecture leans heavily on the male experience of conflict, missing opportunities to subvert gender hierarchies or include diverse identities. Ultimately, the film's strength lies in its ability to deconstruct romanticized wartime tropes through a subjective, ethnic lens, even if it stays within conventional bounds regarding gender and sexuality.

1964

2019

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1987
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