Storyline
France, 1940. In the first days of occupation, beautiful Lucile Angellier is trapped in a stifled existence with her controlling mother-in-law as they both await news of her husband: a prisoner of war. Parisian refugees start to pour into their small town, soon followed by a regiment of German soldiers who take up residence in the villagers' own homes. Lucile initially tries to ignore Bruno von Falk, the handsome and refined German officer staying with them. But soon, a powerful love draws them together and leads them into the tragedy of war.
Directors
Writers
Cast
Kristin Scott Thomas, Lambert Wilson, Paul Ritter, Michelle Williams, Diana Kent, Harriet Walter, Alexandra Maria Lara, Eric Godon, Heino Ferch, Sam Riley, Martin Swabey, Ruth Wilson, Matthias Schoenaerts, Deborah Findlay, Margot Robbie, Simon Dutton, Tom Schilling, Clare Holman, Nicolas Chagrin, Bernice Stegers, Thémis Pauwels, Niclas Rohrwacher, Luan Gummich, Vincent Doms, Tara Casey, Moritz Heidelbach
Trailer
Reviews
80
The film is not without its problems – Michelle Williams is an elusive lead, and a wide array of characters come at the expense of depth – but it’s a knotty, thoughtful piece of work nonetheless.
80
Love and war are a winning combination and Eduard Grau's cinematography, terrific performances all round, in particular the simmering chemistry between Schoenaerts and Williams, should ensure Suite Française's success as well as adding to Némirovsky’s fan base.
70
Suite Francaise exudes a sense of glossy class in its design, staging and costumes and its lead actress Michelle Williams is especially fine, responding perfectly to a role that could have been tricky.
70
Clumsy storytelling decisions, however, can’t entirely get in the way of a good story, and it’s when Suite francaise focuses on the simplest human dynamics of its yarn that it forges a sincere emotional connection.
63
The central romance earns short shrift, with all these characters to service and all those story lines to get in. It doesn’t help that Williams’ Lucille doesn’t give herself over to the passion and never quite sells us this “relationship.” Schoenaerts broods over just what he might be putting on the line, but Williams is so cool that we don’t buy into the risks taken.
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