Frantz (2016)

Frantz (2016)

A post-war romance hinged on mystery and politics

8.0

Movie

France, Germany
French, German
Drama, History, Romance, War
2016
FRANÇOIS OZON
Alice de Lencquesaing, Anton von Lucke, Axel Wandtke
113 min

What it's about

In the aftermath of WWI, a young German who grieves the death of her fiancé in France meets a mysterious French man who visits the fiance’s grave to lay flowers.

The take

It’s always fun to watch something that makes you second guess each move, that shifts seamlessly from one thing to another. Frantz is that kind of film, and as the deceptively simple premise unfolds—a widow befriends her late husband’s friend—you’re never really sure if what you’re watching is a romance, a mystery, or a sly combination of both. 

It helps that Frantz is also more than just a period piece, packed as it is with tiny but thoughtful details. When it is filled with color, for example, it does so in the muted palette of 1900s portraits, making each shot look like a picture come to life. When it talks about love, it goes beyond heterosexual norms and hints at something more potent and, at times, political. And when it takes a swing at melodrama, its actors ground the moment with enough restraint and reserve so that it never teeters on excess. All this results in a well-executed, gripping, and overall lovely film to watch.

 

Comments

Add a comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

Cold War (2018)

A quiet Polish masterpiece with ravishing music and dazzling visuals

9.2

The Zone of Interest (2023)

A chilling and masterful display of the banality of evil

9.5

Victoria (2015)

Filmed in one continuous take and in real time on the streets of Berlin, ‘Victoria’ immerses the viewer in a heart-stopping drama

9.8

Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019)

A romance from France like no other

8.2

The Secret of the Grain (2007)

The saga of one immigrant's life in Southern France

8.5

Rust and Bone (2012)

8.1

All or Nothing (2002)

Mike Leigh goes all-in with this devastating drama

8.1

No Dogs or Italians Allowed (2023)

Alain Ughetto remembers his family history in this charming, yet poignant animated drama

9.2

Divines (2016)

Half female buddy movie, half French gangster thriller

9.0

The Collini Case (2019)

A very satisfying German legal drama

7.6

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.