Prior to his enlisting, a young carpenter’s (Kévin Azaïs) only brush with the military was showing up at recruitment center drives to load up on door prizes. Then one day, the complaisant lad decides to follow the daughter of a client – the survival-driven, sardine-smoothie guzzling doomsday prophet of his dreams (Adèle Haenel) – through boot camp, determined to win her heart. First-time director (and co-writer) Thomas Cailley displays a sure hand at romance, even managing to throw in a few digs at the military. Upon the would-be soldiers' arrival, the welcoming sergeant singles three females out of the dozens of male recruits, cautioning them that it’s their duty not to start any hanky-panky, while paintball maneuvers show how our current XBox-schooled generation of soldiers practices at playing war. Don’t let the patronizingly Americanized title fool you. Les Combattants is a thoughtful throwback to that seldom-revived genre, the service comedy. (2014) — Scott Marks
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