Women at War (Les Combattantes) is an inspiring Netflix war drama that focuses on four women who confront the catastrophic consequences of World War One in France, while the men go off to fight on the front.
Each of the four women has very different jobs — a sex worker, a nurse, a nun and the head of a factory — whose lives intersect in unpredictable ways as they grapple with the devastating conflict.
Director Alexandre Laurent revealed to AlloCiné that he wanted to create the series as women during the war are "the great forgotten of history" and thought it was important to portray their experiences.
He said: "We are tackling a part of the history of France which still marks people today. We were invested with a real form of respect. We didn't want to distort. It was important, especially since the series focuses on showing the role of women during the Great War. Because we know that they are the great forgotten of history."
Is Women at War a true story?
Women at War is not a true story. The four women are completely fictional characters, however the time period it is set in is a very real part of history. The series begins in September 1914, two months after the start of World War One and Germany was already in the midst into its occupation of France.
Talking to AlloCiné, Alexandre Laurent shared that even though it is a fictional story, he worked with historical advisers to make sure that it was historically accurate.
He revealed: "We had two historical advisers, two historians, in addition to the other advisers who collaborated on the series. For example, we had a day-to-day military adviser on set. I didn't do military service, because it wasn't compulsory at the time, and I didn't want the series to be 'fake', that there were big mistakes.
"To ensure that we are as close as possible to historical accuracy, we consulted and sent the texts of the various episodes to two historians: Françoise Thébaud, who helped us with the psychology and positioning of women during the 1914 war -1918, because it is his specialty, and Jean-Pierre Verney, who is a specialist in the war of 14-18, who constituted with his collection the Museum of the Great War of Meaux."
Where was Women at War filmed?
Women at War is filmed in France, specifically in Grand Est in northeastern France, Hauts-de-France in the northernmost region of France, and Île-de-France, which surrounds Paris.
Women at War is available to watch on Netflix now.
