The messages come easily; the movie is never hectoring or doleful. The director's touch is light, his eye for the ways of farm folk and of children is sharp, and his heart is soft.

With its mixture of tones, its multiple plot focuses and its singular use of the virtuosity of Spanish guitarist Narciso Yepes on the soundtrack, it is very much its own film.

The movie is clearly not interested in sugarcoating or sentimentalizing WWII, even though Clment has every opportunity to do so.

It’s not horror she feels, but a kind of fascination, as if there’s a great puzzle to be solved if only the correct rituals are observed. It’s not a descent into the abyss, but a game of hopscotch into darkness.