Frantz

113 minutes

French
German

France
Germany

A timelessly elegant love story by French filmmaker Francois Ozon, Frantz recalls the mourning period following the First World War through the melancholic eyes of the war’s “lost generation.” In a small German town, Anna (Paula Beer) mourns daily at the grave of her fiancé, Frantz, killed during trench warfare. One day, she spies a mysterious young Frenchman (Pierre Niney) laying flowers at Frantz’s grave. Grasping for a shared connection to her lost love, Anna welcomes Adrien into her life, their bond of sorrow propelling a surprising and haunting tale of guilt and forgiveness, eros and thantos, as two lost young people struggle to escape from the shadow of death and war. Inspired by Ernst Lubitsch’s 1932 film Broken Lullaby, Frantz is the story of unrequited love and passion, both between two individuals and between two nations at the core of the imperiled European Union experiment.

starring...

Paula Beer

Anna

Pierre Niney

Adrien

Ernst Stötzner

Hoffmeister

Marie Gruber

Magda

Johann Von Bülow

Kreutz

Anton Von Lucke

Frantz

Cyrielle

Adrien's mother

Writer/Director

François Ozon

In collaboration with

Philippe Piazzo

Cinematography

Pascal Marti

Music

Philippe Rombi

Editing

Laure Gardette

Production Design

Michel Barthélémy

Art Direction

Susanne Abel

95% on the CINEMETER

STL

96% - Mar 19, 2017

Well done film with many themes--guilt, the lies we tell to protect those we love as well as those to protect ourselves. These are "noble" lies. It is also about forgiveness--parallel journeys of Anna and Adrien--why we forgive, how we forgive, when we forgive. Is it ever too late? Ending was superb, especially when we recall that both countries were again headed toward war. The Anna and Adrien match would not have worked!
St. Louis Member

Terrific movie. I loved the use of black & white & color. The storyline surprised me--it was not what I expected, and it didn't take the easy way out. An incredible telling of the power and need for forgiveness.
St. Louis Member

I liked this film on so many levels:
--the story about survivors of war
--how Frantz's mother accepted Adrien much sooner than his father indicating females are more compassionate
--how Anna gained deeper understanding viewing it (France) from the other side
--the deep emotion of forgiveness
--the understated love story but ...
I found switching from black/white to color so many times very disturbing and distracting. I would have preferred it all in B/W
St. Louis Member

Incandescent, powerful work on EVERY level. Evokes romantic war films like "Casablanca" but more focused on horrors of war, juxtaposition of love & hate, erotic attraction. Use of color for loving scene v. moody black and white is very effective. Parallels between relationship of Anna and Adrien and Germany and France handled with deftness and sensitivity.
St. Louis Member

I think this is a movie that you need to see more than once. A look at how complicated war, the aftermath of war & how sometimes the truth does not set us free.
St. Louis Member

ATL

90% - Mar 5, 2017

Haunting, gorgeous, compelling! Didn't want it to end!
Atlanta Member

Gorgeous & mysterious, provocative & evocative of a multitude of forgivable lies.
Atlanta Member

A lovely study of war, love, loss, forgiveness and family.
Atlanta Member

A reminder of the awful cost of war--not only those who fight it--but those who survive and all the lives it touches. (Interesting use of the inspired singing of "La Marseillaise--quite a different effect than the famous scene from Casablanca.)
Atlanta Member

A French version of "Atonement." Equally disturbing.
Atlanta Member

It was like an old (30s, 40s) movie. The black and white was perfect. Powerful piece when dad spoke to his contemporaries about who is responsible for the death of their sons. THANK YOU for this film, A Week and a Day, Land of Mine and Moonlight!
Atlanta Member

Longest, slowest, saddest movie--LOVED every moment. Excellent.
Atlanta Member

SO slow--very human, full of angst & the elephant in the room-->gayness! Every person in the film is caught in moral dilemmas of one sort or another & mixed between the various people in the film. Lying & agony & national anthems.
Atlanta Member

Certainly in the top 10 films I have ever seen! An entire film course could be structured around this film!
Atlanta Member

MIL

94% - Mar 19, 2017

A beautiful elegy to the true horrors of war, and how the aftermath affects the families and culture left behind.
Milwaukee Member

Beautiful movie. War is hell. The father, Hans, was remarkable.
Milwaukee Member

Fantastic film and excellent discussion.
Milwaukee Member

Great movie with lots of emotion.
Milwaukee Member

Loved the cinematography. Terrific acting!
Milwaukee Member

Beautiful film with beautiful cinematography.
Milwaukee Member

My favorite this season.
Milwaukee Member

BOS

92% - Mar 12, 2017

Beautiful cinematography, like attending a photography exhibit.
Boston Member

Perfect in black and white. Deeply moving!
Boston Member

Extremely well-done, kept you wanting more!
Boston Member

Beautifully filmed and acted. Excellent, so many layers.
Boston Member

92% - Mar 12, 2017

A lovely and thoughtfully-paced story, unfolding grief, the consequences of truth, how healing a lie can be, and ultimately what choosing to live means to us. I loved the misdirection it was leading us into and the twists and turns of the story.
San Francisco Member

Wonderful - the black-and-white cinematography was lovely. Beautifully acted - I cared immensely for all the main characters.
San Francisco Member

So sorrowful and multi-layered, intense. Superlative cinematography, unpredictable story.
San Francisco Member

San Francisco Member

97% - Mar 12, 2017

I was captivated by this film: the characters, their story, the beauty of the images and the music. The acting was superb. The expressions of emotions was, to me, spot on in their complexity, the intensity, the contradictions, the shame, the longing, the instinct to lie to protect those you love from grief. It presents the common humanity we share.
Greater New Haven Member

I loved the film. The cinematography was spectacular! Film was like an onion: so multi-layered.
Greater New Haven Member

Use of black-and-white and color expressed emotions. This film brought the pain and joy of forgiveness to the screen, and the audience received a gift. I love this film. [Note: many praises for the use of black-and-white and color, and in general for the cinematography.]
Greater New Haven Member

Loved this movie. It was poetic and rich, and the concept of forgiveness was beautifully handled. Soulful. The mirror image: German bar scene and French bar scene, both showing overt nationalism. Who wins? Love heals all. Bravo!
Greater New Haven Member

Beautifully acted, universal story of love and loss. 'All soldiers are someone's son," as the father says. So sad. And to think that not long after, France and Germany were at war again. This film hit all the notes of the futility and ridiculousness of war.
Greater New Haven Member

Superb. The actress playing Anna was magnificent. The use of black-and-white added to the sorrow, and the color added to the fantasy. I noticed that the color was pale to emphasize the lies instead of the truth.
Greater New Haven Member

I loved the occasional use of color to show joy in a joyless world. The screenplay does a good job of navigating the many themes: love, loss, trust, lying, and the roles of art in the healing process.
Greater New Haven Member

A must see. Poignant commentary on the senselessness of war. Even more striking in black-and-white.
Greater New Haven Member

Beautiful film. Had the feel of an instant classic. [Note: the word 'beautiful' appeared on numerous cards.]
Greater New Haven Member

An exquisitely wrought film, I found totally engrossing. My favorite film of the season so far.
Greater New Haven Member

99% - Mar 12, 2017

Beautiful to watch, melodramatic to listen to (the swelling violins!), Anna & Adrien & Adrien's mother all more beautiful than the next. Shades of Casablanca, old Germans and music from Frankenstein films, hints of WWII, twists and turns.

A beautiful mess.
Washington, DC Member

Bravo! A poignant reminder of the futility of war. The ease with which people are manipulated into supporting it. And both the fragility and resilience of the human spirit.
Washington, DC Member

A flawless film! This is a complex story told so simply that it is stunning. Proving once again LESS IS MORE.
Washington, DC Member

One of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen at the film club. From black and white to soft colors was brilliant. I can't wait to tell all my movie-lover friends about it. Loved, loved, loved it!
Washington, DC Member

The most sophisticated anti-war film I have ever seen.
Washington, DC Member

BOCA

96% - Mar 12, 2017

Best film of the season!
Boca Raton Member

This is a movie with many facet.s The story holds our attention. The scenes are realistic. The musics fits very well with the story!
Boca Raton Member

Very well acted and poignant. Wonderful use of color and black and white footage. Thoughtful commentary on nationalism and war and their long-lasting effects.
Boca Raton Member

Wonderful film! Not the ending I wanted to see but it depicts the tragedy of war!
Boca Raton Member

Really enjoyed! Felt the love, hate and mystery!
Boca Raton Member

One of the most exquisite, delicate and powerful films I've ever experienced!
Boca Raton Member

Black and white setting added to this film. Created perfect anticipation, sadness and hope in the characters!~
Boca Raton Member

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