Paris-born François Ozon is a filmmaker who has made a number of radical films in the French "New Wave" movement (a few shocking, some even salacious), probably the most popular being "Swimming Pool" in 2003. During the last few years this challenging filmmaker has begun to display a maturing without shedding his 'edge', reaching his artistic zenith in "In the House", one of 2012's finest films, but now "Frantz" may be his chef-d'oeuvre. Made just as Ozon was approaching 50, it displays not just maturity of the artist but a refinement, perhaps even a mellowing. Of course, the source material may have had something to do with it as it is loosely based on the 1932 Ernst Lubitsch Hollywood film, "Broken Lullaby". Set in a small town in Germany just after the end of World War I, the story deals with a young German woman (sensitively played by Paula Beer) who's fiancé had been killed in the war and the remorse felt by the French soldier (Pierre Niney) who killed him, but Ozon's visual style, patterned after Edouard Manet's painting, Le Suicidé, displays a sublime beauty of texture immeasurably aided by Ozon's decision to combine pristine black and white cinematography with muted color sequences. The result is a bittersweet love story conveying deep sorrow in every scene that provides an emotional experience that is almost an anomaly for the usually cynical Ozon. Praised throughout the world, especially for its cinematography by Pascal Marti, this is a film worth seeking out, even if somewhat conservative for such a celebrated French enfant terriblé.

'Frantz' is one of those films that follows you long after the screening is over. What I and maybe many other viewers of François Ozon's 2016 film will remember years from now will be the silhouettes of the two principal heroes - the beautiful German young woman Anna (interpeted by Paula Beer) whose lover, Frantz, fell on the front two months before the end of the First World War and the out-of-world French young man Adrien Rivoire (actor Pierre Niney) who is also an ex-soldier, has met Anna's lover some time in the past, and comes to put flowers on his empty grave and ease the grief of Anna and Frantz's parents. One may say that Pierre Niney is a miscast, and maybe this is true, but he is a miscast not as an actor, but in the world his fate was to live in.Frantz himself gives the name of the film, as all characters are tormented by his absence, his falling in the war makes him the victim, but actually everybody in this film is a victim of the absurdity of the war. The film succeeds to present in a moving manner how destinies are cut short by war, and how difficult are healing, forgetting, forgiving. It also asks questions about the capability of humans to cope with the horrors of the past - can they do it while facing the truth which is sometimes more cruel than their imagination allows? Or maybe lies are allowed when they can help healing or avoid reopening fatal wounds?Ozon's film also carries an anti-war message. The heroes belong to the two sides of a war that created devastation for both nations. One may have been victor, the other defeated, but both countries are in ruins, millions of lives were lost, the survivors continue to carry the scars of the war traumas but also the germs of hate that will be at the root of the next war. The symmetry of scenes and situations may seem demonstrative, but it's good to remember that blood, enmity and mistrust divided Europe no so long ago.The film makes use of black and white for the majority of the time, with colors inserted in some key moments, without necessarily marking the borders between reality and imagination, past and present, truth or fiction. It was a very good idea in my opinion to avoid the trap of a happy ending and to leave more ambiguity in place, with a mysterious lesser known painting of Manet handling to the viewers the key to what may have happened next. Questions marks are relevant for both past and future.

When watching a movie we hate to read subtitles throughout whole movie. The plot was great tho. But having to read in whole movie is not enjoyable. I wish that in movie reviews = it would be noted that there are subtitles. I am sure that some other people feel the same way. That is why my rating is 7 .

This is pleasantly a surprise film. I would say it is this year's the Oscar winning film 'Ida'. Frankly, there's nothing to compare between two. Not just both of them are modern black and white film, but they are quite similar in the portrayal of lead female characters. Just like 'Marie's Story', it was also inspired by another Hollywood film, 'Broken Lullaby'. I haven't seen that. Even not many people have seen it. One of the less known classic drama which I am going to give a try now. Coming back to the film, it was about the World War I that centres on a young woman who lost her fiancé.Nearly two hours drama, quite slowly narrated, but I never felt drag in storytelling or boring to follow it. From the director of 'In the House', yet another masterpiece. Yeah, it looked like that way for me. Only a very few characters and they all developed so well, almost till the end when a few more joined them. The title role was appeared for like only 4-5 minutes in the entire film. Well, that was the topic, a reason for this story to begin along with the WWI. Though the following storyline was built on a different platform.Like there is a saying 'to hide one lie, a thousand lies are needed', that's what this film was actually about. Living and keep on evolving in the endless process. It is a moral, a message film, but the mistake was committed by someone else that another person has to take the fall for it, even after he goes out of the picture. Really a touching story, but not a tearjerker. The journey of life is sometimes unexpected, particularly when it comes to romance that blooms when one needed it last at the circumstance he's at his life.❝What would the truth bring? More pain, more tears.❞This is not a war film, just in case if you are expecting one. It was a subject under everything happen. So, there's only less than 5 minute clips of them in the film. Basically, those clips too were not required, but it's always nice to see them in pictures when a flashback come into play. It is a pure drama that sets in just after the end of the WWI. A young German woman is mourning for the death of her fiancé. She discovers a young French man who claims his close friend came to condole his demise. He meets the rest of the family and shares those happy days he spent with him in Paris before the war. During his stay, they all get along quite well, despite the people from society are against it/him.That was the first half of the film, developed slowly and steadily, but ended with a twist. The following half began on the new direction with lots of mysteries surrounding. Completely unpredictable, yet as a viewer, I had hundred of different thoughts about the upcoming developments. I was somewhat right on most of the occasion, but I was even happier about how it all went on its own style. Now the story entered the France. More twist and turns unfolded. The pace of the story looked the same, though lots of developments made it look advanced very fast.The World War II is the most dominated theme in the war films. When you see a film on WWI, you will come to realise its perspective, if the film was made with the right dose of everything, even if it was not based on the real event or the person. Fighting the war, carrying the wound, grieving for the lost ones, struggling to rebuild the life and the nation. This is definitely one of the best WWI related, I mean about the aftermath of the war films I've seen. The screenplay was magic. I would surely give an award for it. And then the beautiful photography. I don't know it was because of the black and white, but virtually you would be taken back to the 1919. Simple, yet a great camera angles that must be appreciated.Wonderful cast. Without those amazing performances, this film would have been nothing. Anna is the name you would remember for very long and the actress who played it. In a couple places, the screenplay turns semi colour, particularly when musics takes the front stage. Just in case if you are yet to watch, pay attention to that, because not everybody notices that. To me it looks like an Oscar product, but the release date confirms not eligible for the next Oscars. Different people have different opinion, but I think it is a must see. Those who struggle with slow paced narration, if they manage the opening half, then they would enjoy the remaining and love the overall film. Definitely a hidden gem, it just needs more audience, that's all.8.5/10