Written by: Gaby Chiappe
Starring: Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin, Bill Nighy, Jack Huston, Helen McCrory, Eddie Marsan
Rating: [4/5]
Films serve as the ultimate empathy machine as aptly put by Roger Ebert in the manner in which they create characters audience members can care for and a story that can sway individuals’ view of a particular topic. No one knows this fact as much as filmmakers themselves and the government, who have often used them as a tool in order to sway public opinion on topics, like keeping morale high during a war. Their Finest demonstrates the most earnest approach to accomplish this through its incredibly touching story.
Looking for a basic secretarial job, Catrin (Gemma Arterton) gets a gig as a screenwriter for a film company looking to make an inspirational film to keep public sentiment in support of the effort during World War II. Stepping into this new role, she must combat truth vs. fiction in crafting this movie while contending with her fellow screenwriter Tom Buckley (Sam Claflin).
While we can have general opposition to the validity of government propaganda films as art, there’s no doubt about the effectiveness they have. From something like Battleship Potemkin to the horrific Nazi ones crafted, they deliver a distinct message from the government. The one displayed in this feature gets captured in a more earnest manner because we see the individuals involved and the intentions they have with a war where they sit on the right side of history. However, that does not stop them from engaging in tactics all forms of government propaganda films do, like stretching the truth mightily in order to reach its point across.
One of the major sticking points in the feature is whether or not to depict the truth of two women and whether they made it to Dunkirk to help evacuate the British soldiers. Just enough kernels of truth exist there but stretching it towards fictional storytelling allows for a much more rousing story that gets put to film to display how the everyday person can help contribute to the war effort. Valid points get raised in this manner to decide where the lines of morality lie and what can be pushed if it ultimately serves as the greater good. These individuals are not making a documentary grounded in truth, which allows Catrin to truly shine as a screenwriter.
In addition, this rise for Catrin displays an issue happening with women and the war effort in the United States as well at the time, where women display their ability to contribute outside of the home in effective ways. With men off to war, Catrin steps in to do what’s typically considered a man’s job and does it very well displaying how the genie can no longer be kept in the bottle of them not having the opportunity to step into careers where they have proven their value. This aspect certainly causes some tension on set, particularly when Catrin must confront her fellow screenwriter Tom Buckley, and the way she must clear the hurdles he puts out for her in order to fully succeed.
As they film this story, this feature navigates with two tones as it features unbridled optimism in what they try to craft but also not sheltering these characters from the impacts of the war. Unlike in the mainland USA, these individuals in England did have to watch and care for themselves out in the open because they could encounter a bomb dropped by the Germans on occasion. It gives this feature a boldness in its characters in the way that they cannot guarantee if they’ll be there tomorrow as on their way home a bomb could drop on them. This ensures each moment gets appreciated and the reality that they will experience loss and seeing this all through Catrin’s perspective makes for some heartbreaking moments as she attempts to reckon with what she feels on top of trying to complete this project.
All of the emotion this feature seeks to elicit gets driven through a strong performance by Gemma Arterton. An actor who has deserved a leading role with this much juice and she makes sure not to squander the opportunity. Everything this character demands from her from the heartbreaking moments to the swooning ones of love she handles in such style because of the talent she possesses. She helps make this character so easy to root for and allows the remaining strong supporting cast to elevate everything going on in the feature.
Yet another home run by director Lone Scherfig, Their Finest looks at the most positive use of government propaganda when done through a more positive approach. It serves as another film about the magic of movies in the way it displays the power of filmmaking and the impact it has on audience members. This power, therefore, proves exactly why government entities love utilizing it as a way to placate and inspire a nation and this feature examines the moral issues at play in the way they capture this all very well.
Films with Josh 
