Frantz (2016) (French & German Language)

Review

113min

Genre:      Drama, War

Director:   François Ozon

Cast:        Pierre Niney, Paula Beer, Anton von Lucke…and more

Writers:    François Ozon, Philippe Piazzo and Ernst Lubitsch

-Synopsis-

Set in 1919 during the aftermath of World War I, a grieving young German woman develops a complex relationship with a young Frenchman who mysteriously lays flowers at the foot of her dead fiancé’s grave, in this French and German language drama from writer/director François Ozon.

Unofficially based on Ernst Lubitsch’s 1932 film ‘Broken Lullaby’—itself an adaptation of French writer Maurice Rostand’s 1925 piece ‘L’homme que j’ai tué’—‘Frantz’ is a true Franco-German collaboration (both in its production and narrative), as writer/director Ozon (8 Women, Swimming Pool) crafts a melancholy, stylish but restrained period melodrama about grief, forgiveness and hope.

Taking place in small-town Germany after the armistice which ended the fighting, ‘Frantz’ stars Paula Beer as ‘Anna’—a beautiful but solemn young woman still mourning the loss of her fiancé ‘Frantz’ (Anton von Lucke), and helping his parents deal with the high human cost of the ‘Great War’. When mysterious young Frenchman ‘Adrien’ (Pierre Niney) unexpectedly joins the fray, with a complex connection to their beloved and departed Frantz, their lives become muddled with promise, longing and deception—as they struggle for redemption and hope after the despair of war.

The first thing that might strike you about ‘Frantz’ is its distinct colour palette, set in vivid monochrome but fluttering seamlessly between its black & white aesthetic and the occasional full colour moment, effectively serving as a mood ring for Anna as director Ozon and cinematographer Pascal Marti visually augment her emotional inner struggles—all of which fits the package of a pensive and tonal drama . . . which may prove too slow and wistful for some audiences.

In terms of profound narrative themes, ‘Frantz’ packs quite a punch for a modest little European film; using the backdrop of physical, personal and spiritual devastation caused by the First World War to deliver a character-based study on the folly and horrors of war—even touching on the rising nationalist xenophobia and resentment that comes before, during and after armed conflict, and which was taken advantage of by a certain WWI veteran and future ‘Führer’ only a couple of decades later to once again bring devastation to Europe . . . and far beyond.

Yet the core of the film is a very personal and emotive but restrained meditation on loss and grief, which comes off like a sobering soliloquy from Ozon on the struggle of coping with life when it smashes you over the head with tragedy, plus all the little daily personal battles thereafter. The film also has a central focus on the arts and culture, as both a thread which connects the two central characters and as a source of therapy, with Ozon illustrating the power of art to illuminate darkness, bring colour to life, and even make it worth living.

It all comes though in a stylish character drama package, with a hint of forbidden love and a measure of suspense, within a narrative that boasts a bit of mystery and misdirection and revolves around deception—frankly addressing the lies we tell ourselves and each other to spare us from grief and pain. Ultimately it’s all held together by accomplished performances from the cast, particularly from Pierre Niney as Adrien and a more nuanced, career-breaking one from young Paula Beer as Anna—all of which are coloured and given further life by a beautifully melancholic classical score from Ozon’s regular musical collaborator Philippe Rombi.

Despite the distinct setting, intriguing character dynamics and subdued tone, ‘Frantz’ is in many ways a rather typical (albeit stylishly crafted) period melodrama. For some, the slow build and plodding pace might conspire with the subtle emotionality of characters’ inner turmoil, which is often only perceptible through the eyes, to make for a slightly sluggish experience—in what is probably François Ozon’s least edgy and most conventional drama to date.

Yet this might also be his most ambitious endeavour too, dealing with high-concept themes and the profundity of human emotion contained in the film’s compact narrative, and doing so with a style, restraint and subtlety which makes ‘Frantz’ a captivating and moving little human drama and period piece—capturing some of the elements which make up an old and complex Franco-German relationship . . . which endures at the heart of Europe to this day.

The Bottom Line . . .

François Ozon’s traditional, nuanced and moody little Franco-German period drama is a captivating and personal eulogy to the many victims of the ‘Great War’, and armed conflict in general, and a poignant mediation on grief and forgiveness. Thanks mainly to two accomplished central performances and its vivid combination of sights and sounds, lifting the veil of gloom from the eyes of life using the beauty of art which the film so clearly eulogises.

Similar films you may like (Home Video)

The Childhood of a Leader (2016) (English & French Language)

In the backdrop of war-torn rural France at the end of the First World War; an American diplomat negotiating the terms of German surrender relocates to a French village with his European wife and young son, but as the boy’s behaviour becomes erratic and family dynamics are strained, troubling events reveal a glimpse of a dark future in this stylistic parable about the rise of 20th century European Fascism.

Directed by Brady Corbet and starring Tom Sweet, Liam Cunningham and Bérénice Bejo among others.

Comments

comments

Comments are closed.