The War of the Yokels

With an eclectic ensemble cast made up almost entirely of children, Davide Barletti and Lorenzo Conte’s fable about a war between the ruling elite and lower classes, based on the novel by Carlo D’Amicis, plays like a cross between Lord of the Flies and The Goonies. No one really knows why the centuries-old war exists, but after the “yokels” of the underclass carry out a series of disruptive invasions, and bring in a ruthless outsider, things start to escalate violently. Meanwhile, the pitiless leader of the ruling class falls in love with a yokel and begins to question his role in the needless war. Set in the 1970s off the sunbaked coast of Puglia, beautifully photographed by Duccio Cimatti, The War of the Yokels is a rambunctious mixture of social satire, perilous adventure, and low-key fantasy, with energetic performances by its cast of young actors.