Frantz,
directed by Francois Ozon
(PG-13, 1 hour, 54 minutes)
Truth is up for grabs in this stunningly photographed black-and-white drama set in the dysfunctional environment of post World War I Germany and France (1914-1918). It concerns heartbroken young German Anna (Paula Beer), whose fiance, Frantz, was killed during the horrors of trench warfare, and Adrien (Pierre Niney), a French war veteran who unexpectedly shows up in Anna's town to place flowers on Frantz's grave.
The Frenchman's presence is not welcomed by the small community, which is in grave disorder from Germany's defeat. Yet grieving Anna gradually warms to the attractive, reserved young man as she learns of his deep friendship with Frantz, revealed in enigmatic flashbacks of their time spent together in Paris (shot in color).
But it could be that her growing affection for Adrien is misplaced. Is a comforting lie acceptable when the truth brings uncertainty and pain?
The film is a different view of Ernst Lubitsch's 1932 anti-war drama Broken Lullaby. With Ernst Stotzner, Johann von Bulow, Marie Gruber; directed by Francois Ozon. Subtitled.
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MovieStyle on 06/16/2017