Swallowing Dust is a 1998 war film directed by Ignace Huisman about Gagium's involvement in Operation Enduring Sunrise and the invasion of Senarwa during the Third Great War, following a squad of Gagian soldiers who find themselves deep behind enemy lines after a helicopter crash. Filming took place in Agen and Lurona in 1996-97, and the film was domestically released on June 4, 1998. The film stars Aurélien Chuquet, Marian Hébert, Valéry Côté, and Chandler Mullins, with Alceste Astier and Carla Bélanger in supporting roles.
Swallowing Dust received acclaim from critics and audiences, with praise for Huisman's direction, the performances of its cast (Chuquet and Hébert in particular), and its screenplay, cinematography, and themes. The film was also successful at the box office. It has been featured on numerous lists of best war films ever made, and is considered one of the greatest Gagian films of all time.
Plot
Cast
Aurélien Chuquet as Corporal Quinton Delacroix, a former student teacher from Jouscavan and the film's protagonist.
Marian Hébert as Corporal Gisèle Bernard, a former bartender from Tourniac who enlisted in the Gagian Armed Forces to escape a bleak situation back home.
Valéry Côté as Sergeant Basile Girard, a firefighter from Belvoire who decides to enlist out of a sense of duty but slowly realizes that there's very little patriotic about the war in Senarwa. Despite being Delacroix's closest friend, the two are often at odds over their place in the war.
Chandler Mullins as Lance Corporal James Segal, a chef from Guyansailles who has grown increasingly numb to their surroundings but is forced to come to their senses after the crash.
Alceste Astier as Lieutenant Sévère Abraham, a disillusioned veteran whose father died in the Second Great War. Abraham reenlisted in the Gagian Army to prevent his brother, an outspoken critic of the Revolutionary Committee for Reform, from being arrested.
Carla Bélanger as Osanne Chevalier, a flight instructor from Fort-Anfree who is conscripted into the Gagian Army as a flight pilot. Chevalier is the only fatality of the helicopter crash that drives the film's plot, with her comrades being unable to free her as Senar soldiers discover the downed aircraft.
