You know that feeling when you watch a movie and, even weeks later, you're still staring at the ceiling at 2:00 AM wondering what the hell actually happened? That is Neither Heaven Nor Earth. Or, if you want to be fancy and use the original French title, Ni le ciel ni la terre.
Honestly, calling it a "war movie" feels like a lie. Sure, there are soldiers. There are dusty outposts in the Wakhan Valley of Afghanistan. There are guns. But this isn't Black Hawk Down. It’s more like a fever dream where the rules of reality just... stop working.
The story follows Captain Antarès Bonassieu—played by a brilliantly intense Jérémie Renier—and his squad of French soldiers. They’re stationed at a remote outpost near the Pakistan border in 2014. It’s supposed to be a routine surveillance gig. Boring, even. Until it isn’t.
When Soldiers Just... Vanish
The Neither Heaven Nor Earth movie starts with a dog. The dog disappears. Then, two soldiers go missing from their post. No blood. No signs of a struggle. No radio chatter. They’re just gone.
If you’ve seen your fair share of thrillers, your brain immediately goes to "kidnapping." Bonassieu thinks the same thing. He’s a rational guy. A man of maps, infrared cameras, and tactical logic. He assumes the local villagers or the Taliban took them. He interrogates the locals. He gets aggressive.
But then something weird happens.
The Taliban show up. Not to fight, but to talk. It turns out their men are disappearing too. Imagine being a French commander and having a Taliban leader tell you, "Hey, we're losing guys in the same spot. Do you have them?"
📖 Related: Wrong Address: Why This Nigerian Drama Is Still Sparking Conversations
That is the moment the movie shifts from a grit-and-sand war drama into something deeply metaphysical.
The Mystery of the Wakhan Valley
Director Clément Cogitore—who, by the way, made this as his debut feature—doesn't give you the satisfaction of a "monster" reveal. There is no alien, no secret underground bunker, no invisible predator.
The villagers call the area "Allah’s Valley." They tell the soldiers that if you fall asleep on that specific ground, you are "taken." Basically, the land itself is a portal or a void.
Why the Infrared Scenes are So Creepy
The cinematography by Sylvain Verdet is stunning, but it's the use of thermal and night-vision tech that really gets under your skin. We see the world through the soldiers' eyes—grainy, green, and white-hot.
In one of the most unsettling scenes, Bonassieu watches a surveillance feed. He’s trying to catch the "thief" in the act. But the technology that is supposed to give him total control and visibility only shows him how little he actually knows. It highlights the "invisible."
The film suggests that Western military might, with all its satellites and sensors, is completely useless against a spiritual or ancient force. You can’t shoot a mystery. You can’t bomb a belief.
👉 See also: Who was the voice of Yoda? The real story behind the Jedi Master
The Ending: What Does "I Am Not Disappearing, I Am Absenting Myself" Mean?
The ending of the Neither Heaven Nor Earth movie is where most people get frustrated, but it's also the most beautiful part. If you’re looking for a neat explanation, you won’t find one.
Bonassieu eventually stops fighting the phenomenon and starts trying to understand it through a lens of faith—or maybe madness. He has these dreams of the missing men sleeping in a cave. He even starts a Sufi-inspired ritual to "connect" with them.
By the end, he writes a letter to the wife of one of the missing men. He tells her, "I am not disappearing, I am absenting myself."
Is it a lie? A "consoling fiction," as Cogitore has called it in interviews? Maybe. But in a war zone where death is usually violent and meaningless, the idea of simply "drifting away" into another state of being is almost a mercy. It’s an act of self-sacrifice. He gives the families a narrative they can live with, even if it's born from the inexplicable.
The Real-World Context (Or Lack Thereof)
It’s important to remember that Cogitore didn't base this on a true story. He actually got the idea from seeing a "missing persons" poster in a train station and wondering: What if someone just vanished from the surface of the Earth entirely? He chose Afghanistan because it’s a "stationary war." Soldiers sit in bunkers for months, staring at the same rocks. That kind of isolation does things to the brain.
A Quick Breakdown of the Cast
- Jérémie Renier (Captain Antarès Bonassieu): You might know him from Dardenne brothers films. He's usually a bit "scrappier," but here he's all muscle and command until he starts to unravel.
- Swann Arlaud: Plays one of the soldiers. He has this haunted look that fits the vibe perfectly.
- Sâm Mirhosseini: Plays the translator, Khalil. He’s the bridge between the two worlds, and he’s excellent.
Why You Should Watch It (Even If You Hate "Slow" Movies)
This movie isn't for everyone. If you want 13 Hours or Lone Survivor, you’re going to be annoyed.
✨ Don't miss: Not the Nine O'Clock News: Why the Satirical Giant Still Matters
But if you like movies that feel like a puzzle with missing pieces—think Picnic at Hanging Rock or L'Avventura—this is a masterpiece. It tackles the "unwinnable war" allegory without being preachy. It basically says: "We came here to control this land, but we don't even understand the ground we're standing on."
Actionable Takeaways for Your Watchlist
If you're going to dive into the Neither Heaven Nor Earth movie, do yourself a favor and do these three things:
- Watch it in the dark. The film relies heavily on shadows and light. If you have glare on your screen, you’ll miss the subtle movements in the "green" night-vision scenes.
- Don't Google the ending midway. You'll see spoilers that claim to "explain" it. The point is the ambiguity. Let yourself feel the frustration the Captain feels.
- Follow it up with 'Beau Travail'. If you like the "French soldiers in a foreign land losing their minds" trope, Claire Denis’s Beau Travail is the spiritual ancestor to this movie.
The film is a reminder that no matter how much tech we pack into our pockets, there are still corners of the world—and the human mind—that remain completely dark.
Next Steps for Your Movie Night
If you're ready to watch, look for it under the title The Wakhan Front on some streaming services, as that was its international release name. Check your local library's digital catalog (like Hoopla or Kanopy), as it’s a favorite for "prestige" indie collections. Once you finish it, compare the Captain's "ritual" scene to the opening sheep sacrifice; it's a neat bit of circular storytelling that most people miss on the first go.