Even though this German/French production is loosely based on the famous
1906 Courrieres mine disaster
in which 1,099 miners died, the film also reminded me a lot of Emile Zola's
novel "Germinal".
The large mine in this film is divided by the border of Germany and France.
They even have a brick wall underneath to mark the divide. Early one morning
there's a massive explosion on the French side and an unknown number of miners
are trapped or dying down in the rubble. After hearing this news, the German
miners ignore all political and national differences and race across the
border to help their fallen brothers. Some of the miners that are already in
the pit on the German side break through the border wall to go help with the
rescue efforts.
