Frantz (2016)

In a small German town immediately after WWI, a young woman (Paula Beer) grieves for her fiance (Anton Von Lucke) killed in the war. When she encounters a mysterious Frenchman (Pierre Niney) placing flowers on his grave, it is the beginning of a series of lies that will alter several lives. Based on the 1930 play L'HOMME QUE J'AI TUE by Maurice Rostand (previously filmed by Ernest Lubitsch in 1932) and directed by Francois Ozon (8 FEMMES). Ozon uses a leisurely pace as he lets the narrative unfold as we see a series of lies perpetuated to hide a very painful truth. Elegantly shot in both B&W and color wide screen by Pascal Marti, who won the Cesar (the French Oscar) for his work here. Its anti war theme is very much at the forefront (as is its eye toward xenophobia) but Ozon doesn't hammer us with it. But its also a love story about misreading signals and moving on, however painful it is. There's a lovely performance by Paula Beer at the film's center but the rest of the cast is solid too. With Ernst Stotzner, Marie Gruber, Cyrielle Clair and John von Bulow.