In autumn 1944, during the Liberation of Brittany, writer Louis Guilloux worked as an interpreter for the American army. He was a privileged witness to some little-known dramatic aspects of the Liberation: the rapes and murders committed by GIs on French civilians. He also discovered the racism of American military justice. This experience haunted the novelist for thirty years. In 1976, he recounted it in a short novel, "Ok, Joe", which went unnoticed. This film compares his account with the memories of the last witnesses to these forgotten crimes and their punishments.
Direction
Baron lets silence do what explosions cannot.
Editing
1976 novel meets 2023 witnesses — time collapses.
Director
Philippe Baron
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The title 'Ok, Joe' echoes what American GIs allegedly said before assaults — Guilloux turned their casual cruelty into literature.
Black American soldiers were disproportionately executed for these crimes while white offenders faced lighter sentences — the film reveals this as systematic, not incidental.
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