This adaptation of a newly discovered manuscript that was turned into a novel in 2004 is set during the German occupation of France in the 1940's. German soldiers were billeted in the homes of the locals in the village of Bussy.Lucille Angellier (Michelle Williams) lives with her wealthy and domineering mother in law, Madame Angellier (Kristin Scott Thomas.) Each sunday they would stealthily collect rent from the tenant farmers on their land. Lucille's husband is away fighting, thought now to be a prisoner of war.The Angellier household is joined by handsome, cultured German officer, Bruno (Matthias Schoenaerts) a musician before he became a soldier.Both are attracted to each other in a village where the war has complicated things. Madame Angellier remains a patriot having little to do with the Germans but still sees an opportunity to make money. Some of the women sleep with the German soldiers in a village that was deprived of men. Some of the wealthy people in the village like the Viscount manage to carry on regardless by keeping their chickens, rooms and power. Others suffer especially as some of the villagers settle scores by gossiping to the Nazis by writing poisonous letters. Lucille feels hell bent to help out one of her tenant family who is being harassed by a Nazi officer, willing to take risks.This is a handsomely mounted film well acted by Scott Thomas and Williams. The story is not deep, Bruno is not regarded as a token good Nazi, he is willing to overlook the actions of what some of his fellow officers may have done in the past but his feelings for Lucille seems genuine.

I loved everything about Suite Francaise. A feel of Romeo and Juliet, having two lovers being torn part from outside circumstances, although i will not give away the ending. The scenery and visuals were stunning. It reflected the history of the time so well with the vile behavior of the Nazis and the attitudes of the small-town folk. I just loved the whole story of it and it is something different from your other average romantic movie nowadays. Great casting for Suite Francaise, particularly Matthias Schoenaerts as the German soldier Bruno Van Falk. The sub-plot (if of one) of Celine and Benoit was thrilling and astounding, played by Margot Robbie and Sam Riley. I was really following the character's journeys throughout and rooting for them, hoping everything would work out okay for them. despite them being caught up in one of the world's most deadly of wars ever. I commend this movie and recommend it to everyone, especially history buffs, hoping you will enjoy it as much as I truly did.

This is a film of the first two volumes of a planned five-volume novel by Irène Némirovsky (aka Irina Lvivna Nemirovska, born in Kiev), born 1903, died in Auschwitz on 17 August 1942. Némirovsky was a successful Jewish writer living in France who in her lifetime published three novels, all of which were filmed: David GOLDER (1931, filmed a second time in 1950) and LE BAL (1931, filmed a second time in 1993). In 2015 a film was made in France of her novel DEUX. She was arrested as a Jew by the Gestapo just after finishing volume two of her final novel. The manuscript remained in a suitcase and was not looked at until 1998, when it was rediscovered and published in France to great acclaim. The female lead in this film is played by the amazing Michelle Williams, one of our most talented film actresses in the world, whose work I have previously had occasion to praise to the skies, as for instance in LAND OF PLENTY (2004, see my review) and INCENDIARY (2008, see my review). In this film she has a rather subdued role, of a young woman who is shy and emotionally suppressed, living under the tyrannical eye of an authoritarian other-in-law, played sternly by Kristin Scott Thomas. The other spectacular performance in the film is by Matthias Schoenaerts, He is a Belgian actor (his name is Flemish). He plays the polite Lieutenant in the Wehrmacht who is billeted in Michelle Williams's house. He is not only a classical pianist but a composer. The music he composes while he lives in the house he names 'Suite Francaise', hence the title of the film. It is a very pleasant piece of music originally composed for the film by Alexandre Desplats, the French film composer. The film is superbly directed by Saul Dibb, who also jointly wrote the screenplay. The story is extremely sad and full of pathos. It shows clearly the bombing of the columns of civilian refugees from Paris by the psychotic pilots of the Luftwaffe. As we now live in an age of refugees once again, it is possible to appreciate more fully the horrors experienced by the French refugees shown in this film. We have the usual sadistic Nazi assassination of a Mayor as a reprisal to the inhabitants of a small town. Such films serve to remind us always of what happened under Nazi rule. But the biggest revelation is the avalanche of letters informing on people, a massive betrayal by the French against themselves, eager to settle scores with their neighbours by turning them in to the Nazis, not bothering much whether the information provided is true or lies. We also see the Mayor openly collaborating with the occupiers (before he is shot, that is). The film is very powerful and emotionally upsetting, and an excellent cinematic achievement.

War time is not easy, particularly for lovers, the stronger the love is, the bitter they will feel. That's how French village girl Lucile and German lieutenant Bruno linked together, they are not just linked by second world war but also piano, the cruelest thing and the most beautiful thing in the world simultaneously, different from the other WWII war films, Suite Francaise showed a warm German heart under the cold uniform, perhaps that's reason the officer's name is Bruno Von Falk, "Von" reminded people his German side, but Bruno is a typical Italian name -- here the officer already lost half of his coldness, and his piano composer background causing his sensitive character covers his solider's duty particularly when it is peaceful war time, the Chopin taste piano piece pulling submissive Lucile into his emotion world: a little bit sad, a little bit helpless, a little bit romantic... Any women would just love this character, after knowing the movie is based on Ukrainian Jewish author Irène Némirovsky same name novel, people might wonder what really happened to the author so that she wrote such a beautiful story.Madame Angellier (Kristin Scott Thomas) is another shining character in the movie, she was mean as much as Grandet, as the war going deep into the peaceful village life, she changes as much as Lucile and other villagers like Joseph couple, Madeline family etc.