During the German occupation of France in 1940, Lucile Angellier lives with her domineering mother-in-law while waiting for news of her husband, who is serving in the French Army. When a regiment of German soldiers moves into the village and a German officer, Bruno von Falk, is billeted in her home, Lucile tries to keep her distance. His courtesy and his piano playing, however, awaken feelings that test the norms of the community. Around her, other villagers live alongside the occupying force in an atmosphere of humiliation, resistance and survival.

How it was made

The film adapts the second part of Irène Némirovsky's novel Suite Française, published posthumously in 2004. Saul Dibb directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Matt Charman. Produced by TF1 Droits Audiovisuels and Entertainment One, with a budget of around 15 million euros, it was shot between June and August 2013 on location in France and Belgium. Michelle Williams leads the cast alongside Kristin Scott Thomas, Matthias Schoenaerts and Margot Robbie. The score is by Alexandre Desplat and the cinematography by Eduard Grau. The title comes from a musical piece that one of the characters composes and performs.

Reception and legacy

The film opened theatrically in the UK in March 2015 and premiered in the United States on the Lifetime cable network in May 2017. Its reception was modest, focused mainly on the performances and on its faithfulness to the spirit of the novel. It earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Music Composition. Its main interest lies in bringing to the screen a work written during the war by an author who died in Auschwitz, placing it within European war and romance films about the occupation.

Stills

Trailer

Clicking loads the video from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode). Open on YouTube

More films by Saul Dibb

The Duchess2008

Journey's End2017

Original Cinematopedia text based on Wikipedia (es) and Wikipedia (en) and Wikidata.