Written by: Saul Dibb & Matt Charman
Starring: Michelle Williams, Kristin Scott Thomas, Matthias Schoenaerts, Sam Riley, Margot Robbie
Rating: [3.5/5]
Forbidden romances have this divisiveness due to the societal perception of this couple at the center whether or not it remains a justifiably negative one. Any story depicting a forbidden romance with a Nazi during World War II certainly raises the eyebrow of decisions made but through Suite Française we see a portrait of desperation and connection between two individuals making for quite the story.
With France now occupied by the Germans, Lucille (Michelle Williams) and her mother-in-law, Madame Angellier (Kristin Scott Thomas) must host a German soldier named Bruno (Matthias Schoenaerts). As Lucille hopes for her husband’s return from the war, the town begins to crumble under the German occupation, which begins to forge a romance between her and Bruno.
Calling the connection in this feature a romance feels a bit off depending on what way the beholder seeks to define it. While both of these individuals act out of their own volition as they gravitate towards each other, it all falls under the guise of a stressful time in their lives. Lucille must contend with her husband off to war, a mother-in-law who disrespects her, and now must host a soldier representing the very nation oppressing them. Certainly not her greatest hour of living, which puts her in a place of desperation and trying to cling to something in the world around her. In this case, it appears in the form of Bruno, which certainly complicates things but the fervent anger of the town serves as a summation of what transpires in this particular house.
While under this occupation, Lucille gets the opportunity to learn plenty about the other individuals in her town unlike ever before. Something that happens when at war and everyone feels they may not live another day. Some new nuggets of information certainly enlighten while others shock her and make her reconsider her opinions on others. In a sense, she finds herself in a war of words and perception while the men go off to fight with bullets and swords. Plenty gets revealed and actions that cannot be taken back occur making for quite a stressful time where several of the individuals have their backs against the wall and remain unafraid to lash out whenever deemed necessary.
With this story circling around the romance between Lucille and Bruno, the film certainly tries its best to convince audiences about the positive tenets of this man. Certainly, a tightrope to walk in trying to justify caring about the feelings of a man contributing to the deaths of millions. While certainly not at the concentration camps himself, the soldier helps make all of the brutality possible. Thus this feature shows his softer side and the way he can elegantly play the piano making him someone more than just a brute. This almost shatters the simple projection of evil this man represents but a layered human being who exists beyond what coat he wears. While the film does not fully make this man redeemable as a German soldier of this era, Matthias Schoenaerts sure does try his best to get us there. The man possesses quite the look and stripping everything about his identity away, it makes sense why Lucille would be willing to risk it all for him, especially with what she learns about her husband and how long she’s been away from any sort of sexual satisfaction. It sheds some like on the decision-making going on here even if not fully bringing me on board.
With all that said Suite Française still very much works because of the perspective of the feature granted toward Lucille’s experience. What all of this means to her allows for an interesting character to follow portrayed very well by the always-reliable Michelle Williams. Her anger and frustration appear in full swing within this film displaying how she feels about the circumstances she has needed to contend with. Adding this to her mother-in-law’s prodding and a town deeply irritated by the presence of these German soldiers, it helps craft some exhilarating scenes of defiance within these circumstances. The romance does not necessarily work, but it does just enough to get it over the line to allow everything else to rise up to the occasion to entertain.
Films with Josh 
