Abbé Pierre: A Century of Devotion

Featuring a revelatory performance from Benjamin Lavernhe (Delicious, C’est la vie), writer/director Frédéric Tellier’s sweeping and affecting new historical epic charts the extraordinary life of the titular priest and humanist (1912-2007) who, throughout a tumultuous span of modern history, advocated for those most in need whilst frequently placing himself in peril and at risk of ostracisation from the church.

Born in Lyon, the fifth of eight Catholic children, Henri Grouès (Lavernhe) plans to join the monastery, only for WWII to intervene. Learning of the persecution of Jews and patriots, he joins the French Resistance to help those fleeing oppression by the Gestapo, himself forced to use several false identities to avoid capture. As “Abbé Pierre”, by which he will then be known, Henri is exposed to the devastation of war, but also bears witness to the compassion and strength of brotherhood and the liberation of Paris; he emerges from the maelstrom a changed man. Accompanied by his Resistance ally and confidante Lucie Coutaz (Emmanuelle Bercot), Abbé Pierre is destined to live many lives and face multiple battles: as a revolutionary, a state representative, the founder of the Emmaus network of housing shelters and a national icon, but always answerable to history and his fellow man.

Featuring a stirring soundtrack by The National’s Bryce Dessner, this grand, big-budget production captures the feelings, doubts and contradictions of an inspirational man, while speaking eloquently to the concerns of our current era.

“Get ready to have your heartstrings tugged, your mind stimulated, and your spirit uplifted by the story of a man who made the world a better place.” ~Chris Jones, Overly Honest Reviews