20 Best World War I Movies Of All Time Ranked

"See You Up There" offers a swift but unforgettable look at the horrors of war that's as grotesquely memorable as anything else in the movies ... but its real story comes in the aftermath of the horror, when damaged, forgotten French veterans Edouard (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart) and Albert (Albert Dupontel) must try to make their way through an indifferent world. Meanwhile, their former commander, the arrogant and unscrupulous Lt. Pradelle (Laurent Lafitte) — who ruined the lives with a wholly unnecessary and deadly mission — has also come home again.

This ambitious, unconventional film tells a grandly quirky tale of schemes both petty and audacious. It grounds its hectic and highly original plot in a sharp, satirical examination of a post-World War I France that would rather spend a fortune honoring its war dead than providing for their surviving brothers-in-arms. When Albert and Edouard hatch a plot to profit off this national obsession, it may be shocking ... but it's also easy to understand the temptation. We're less forgiving of Pradelle raking in cash via the slipshod mass burial of fallen soldiers. As Edoard and Albert's paths once again intersect with that of their commanding officer, the intensity of the film heightens to a fever pitch.

In a world full of staid, dutiful war films, "See You Up There" stands out for its sheer inventive verve. It acts amoral, but it showcases a fierce anger at injustice, and that combination of cynicism and righteous wrath is powerful fuel. With superb visual inventiveness, plenty of stylistic flair, and complicated, genre-blurring storytelling, "See You Up There" quickly establishes its brilliance.