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Benno Furmann as a German tenor and Diane Kruger as a Danis soprano

But the film's key character is Palmer, the Scottish priest. Gary Lewis brings a quiet strength and calmness to the role—just the traits you'd want from a spiritual leader on the front lines.

Palmer is at the heart of the film's most powerful scene when he leads a Christmas Eve mass for all of the gathered men—French, Scottish, German. After Anna sings "Ave Maria," Palmer begins the mass in Latin, and the camera pans across the soldiers' solemn faces as they respond in the ancient tongue.

Afterward, Palmer asks Gordon, the Scottish lieutenant, what he put in his report to HQ regarding the day's remarkable events. Gordon replies, deadpan, "I wrote, '24th of December, 1914. No hostilities from the German side tonight.'"

Palmer, a twinkle in his eye, pauses a moment to take in the magnitude of that understatement, then says, "Well that's the truth. Tonight, these men were drawn to that altar like it was a fire in the middle of winter. Even those who aren't devout came to warm themselves, maybe just to be together, maybe just to forget about the war."

Gordon replies, "The war won't forget us." Indeed, hostilities resumed right after Christmas. Men who had shared cigarettes, chocolate and cognac—and laughter and tears—began shooting at each other again. Four years later, the war ended with 8.5 million dead, and almost thrice that many wounded.

And it would be years before the Christmas Truce would be remembered as an event to celebrate. Generals on all sides were outraged. Many who had taken part in the truce were taken off the front lines, reassigned, or even court-martialed. Many were called cowards for fraternizing with the enemy.

Gary Lewis as Palmer, the Scottish priest

After the truce, Palmer is shown tending to the wounded behind the lines. His bishop arrives to tell Palmer he's being sent back to his parish in Scotland. Palmer replies: "I belong with those who are in pain and have lost the faith. I belong here." The bishop says that when Palmer had requested permission to be with the boys from his parish on the front lines, "I personally vouched for you. But then, I heard what had happened, I prayed for you"—indicating his indignation that Palmer had consorted with the enemy.

Palmer, taken aback, says, "I sincerely believe that our Lord Jesus Christ came to me in what was the most important Mass of my life. I tried to be true to his trust, and carry his message to all, whoever they may be."

What follows is an interesting exchange—loaded with theological implications—between Palmer and the bishop. We won't give away the substance of it here, but it's worth paying close attention. After that exchange, the bishop stalks off to address "the soldiers who are replacing those who went astray with you. May our Lord Jesus Christ guide your steps back to the straight and narrow path." Palmer retorts, "Is that truly the path of our Lord?"

Writer/director Carion might ask the same question, noting that he often thought about "the soldiers who courageously fraternized. At the time, they were considered cowards. For me, they were neither heroes nor cowards. They were merely men who accomplished something incredibly human."

Incredibly human? Perhaps. But not without a touch of the incredibly divine.

1. Do you find this story believable? Why or why not? Do you think it could happen today, in modern warfare, perhaps even in Iraq? Why or why not?
   
   
2. Do you think the men from these armies hated each other while they were fighting? Did they simply stop hating during the truce? Many called them "cowards" for fraternizing with the enemy. What do you think?
   
   
3. Talk about places where you saw God "show up" in this film. What parts of the movie do you think could only be attributed to divine intervention?
   
   

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