In the calm after the cruel storm of the first World War, a mysterious Frenchman visits a German town to put flowers on the grave of a soldier named Frantz.
As he is welcomed by Frantz’s financée and kind family, the Frenchman’s secret story slowly unspools — as does his desire for connection and forgiveness in a world torn by war. Francois Ozon writes and directs a film that is all the more rich for being shot in both color and black and white. The fact that it speaks both French and German lends added dimension. Dashing actor Pierre Niney — so memorable as the titlular star of Yves Saint Laurent — plays the haunted Frenchman. Opposite him, in the role of Frantz’s former fiancée, is Paula Beer (pictured) — a striking actress who steals the show as her character becomes the center of a story about love, healing and learning to survive in face of heartbreaking loss. THE WORD: Though romance is involved, it would be an injustice to call this film a love story; it’s far more than that. COMING TO: Theaters
Last modified: October 16, 2017
