Our Salvation, Emmanuel Marre's second feature, hits theaters in France on 30 September 2026. Distributed by Condor, this 2h35 historical drama led by Swann Arlaud has won the Cannes Film Festival 2026 Screenplay Award.
In September 1940, as the Pétain regime takes shape, Henri Marre arrives alone and penniless in Vichy. Cut off from his wife and children, this self-taught engineer hopes to find his place in the new administration. He carries with him several copies of Notre Salut, a self-published political treatise in which he champions his patriotic convictions and a method he regards as effective.
By pledging to help steer France’s recovery, Henri slowly becomes indispensable to the new regime. The film tracks how personal ambition, bureaucratic jargon, and a longing for recognition can push an ordinary man to become a cog in the machinery of collaboration.
Emmanuel Marre draws from his own family story and letters written by his great‑grandfather, but the film isn’t pitched as a faithful biopic. Sandrine Blancke, Jean-Baptiste Marre, Harpo Guit, and Mathilde Abd-El-Kader complete the cast.
The filmmaker had already presented Rien à foutre, co-directed with Julie Lecoustre and led by Adèle Exarchopoulos, at Critics’ Week in 2021. This time, selected for the official Cannes competition, Notre Salut also took home the CST Award for the artist-technician, awarded to Nicolas Rumpl.
To extend the in-theater experience, check out the September 2026 movie releases, the films to watch right now, and our pick of this year's dramas.
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