Towards the end of the Great War, a young French woman receives word that her fiancee was one of five soldiers court-martialed for self-mutilation to avoid the senseless slaughter.

Their punishment was to be sent out into no man's land between the French and German trenches – and inevitable death.

But she refuses to believe this story without proof and, following a few leads, begins her own stubborn investigation into the soldiers' fates.

Some have dismissed it as "Amelie goes to War" which does this a disservice.

Certainly, like Amelie, it has its own quirks, running jokes and, being a Jean-Pierre Jeunet movie, an appearance by Dominique Pinon, but it's so much more than that.

Mixing comedy, romance, horrific war scenes and some genuinely moving and touching drama, you can't help but be swept along.

The film's central theme is similar to Kubrick's masterpiece Paths of Glory which was banned in France for many years – and the film even pays homage with a tracking shot through the trenches that copies a Kubrick shot.

A Very Long Engagement boasts a great cast of famous French actors – plus a surprise cameo by a Hollywood A-Lister too.

A Very Long Engagement is a French film, adapted from a French book, filmed in France, in French, with a French cast and crew.

However, due to a ridiculous quirk, the film is ineligible for the Foreign Language Film Oscar, so Warner Brothers are pushing it for Best Picture instead. Don't scoff – it could be in with a chance.

One of the "Must See" movies of 2005.

Adrian Zak