(Dir. Francois Ozon 2016)
PG-13, no explicit content but the themes are mature in an emotional sense. The movie is about dealing with the post-WWI consequences in everyday life. This movie is absolutely heart breaking, all the more so because the viewer knows that WWII is coming. It focuses around Anna, a young German woman whose fiancé, Frantz, was killed during the war. Since the war ended life in her town has been subdued and just about everyone lost loved ones in the war. The movie took time to specifically highlight the feelings of bitterness many Germans felt towards the French and vice versa. Enter Adrien, a mysterious frenchman who claims to have been friends with Frantz before the war. Much of the film centers around the domestic consequences of such a destructive war and how survivors and those who lost loved ones process the consequences of institutionalized violence. **Spoilers** Though it is clearly hinted at throughout the film, it is not until halfway through that Frantz reveals his true purpose in visiting Frantz's family. He was not friends with him before they war, he killed him during it and visiting Frantz's family is his form of penitence. **End Spoilers** What I admire most about Frantz is its dedication to showing the devastation and mistrust on both sides after the war. The first half of the film takes place in Germany. Everyone in the town is still reeling from the tragedies of war and most of the town reacts to Adrien with distrust or blatant hostility. As he spends time there, feelings towards him soften, but many still only see him as the enemy. Frantz's father is shunned by the other men in the town for welcoming Frantz, which motivates him to give his speech which encompasses the central theme of the movie. Adrien eventually leaves Frantz's family to return home, but after months of silence from him Anna leaves Germany to find him. On her journey to France, Anna receives the same prejudices that were leveled at Adrien in Germany, which is what finally makes her truly forgive Adrien. She realizes that on both sides men did the unthinkable for their country. Some criticized the second half of the movie because they felt it deviated from or negated the first half of the movie. I don't think those people truly understood the true message of the movie. On both sides, loved ones were killed and loved ones killed. This movie is more than the story of one family after the war, it's a message about the horrors that war forces men to commit. Also what I think many didn't realize was that this movie was based off of a play. It explains a lot of the structure of the film and why the second half may feel a tad disjointed from the first, in the play that would be the second act. ***Spoilers*** Personally, I loved the end of the movie. It was very bittersweet, but I think it was the best way to do it. There was no way that Anna could have moved on with Adrien. Even though she had forgiven him the knowledge of what he'd down would still affect them both. I also understand why she couldn't return home. Everything there would always remind her too much of Frantz. ***End Spoilers*** Besides having a poignant message, the cinematography in the film was absolutely stunning and added to the overall message. The film isn't just black and white to mimic the style of film at the time, it is also used as a way to convey the characters emotions. The black and white signifies the depression everyone feels after the war and it lapses into color occasionally to show solitary moments of happiness. I have to admire the work they did in black and white, the lighting must have been meticulously planned for the movie to keep sharpness. The other truly impressive part of the movie was the bilingual cast. Half of the movie was in German and the other half French, which meant the two leads had to speak both. They were both absolutely fantastic.
1 Comment
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Aubrey KirchhoffI'm just screaming into the void and somehow getting graded on it. Archives
April 2018
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