La mer à l'aube (2011)

The local Wehrmacht commander in Nantes is shot in the street by three young people belonging to the Communist wing of the Resistance (the French resistance). The three attackers escape without being recognized. Hitler immediately orders the execution of 150 French/Communist hostages in reprisal. At the German headquarters in Paris, General Stülpnagel tries to negotiate the number of hostages with “Berlin.” At the military commander’s request, Jünger writes an internal report on the “hostage executions” (the document is published after 2000). Monsieur Lecornu revises the list of hostages. He notices that young people are on it, too. He obtains permission from Commandant Kristucat to amend the list. However, complications arise during the execution in Paris, and the list then has to be restored to its original state. The film also tells the story of Otto, a fictional soldier serving in France. He becomes distraught during the execution of the 27 condemned men because he cannot bear the execution process. At the prison camp in Choisel, the film tells the story of Guy Môquet, who is held there. We learn that he has a girlfriend, Odette Nilés. He is also friends with Claude Lalet, a student. Claude is supposed to be released on the day of the execution, but because of a mistake he ends up on the list of those to be executed. On October 22, 1941, Claude, Guy, and 25 other Frenchmen are executed. The farewell letter of one of the two youngest victims, Guy Môquet, later becomes known. In the end, everyone on the German side involved in the film manages to present the massacre as a mere administrative act. Although the film does not explicitly address the question of the legality and appropriateness of the hostage executions from today’s perspective, it is precisely this omission that implicitly raises that very question.