Review of Frantz (2016) by Joey B — 20 Apr 2017

I understand that I'm still rather young in the grand scheme of things given that I'm still shy of 21 years old, but I'm surprised and thankful that I've still never lost a loved one. God knows how I'd react, but it very well could be a conflation of differing emotions.

As a look at grief, Frantz provides a decidedly romantic, noir-inspired interpretation to its protagonist's process of loss and the discoveries that complicate her healing, and it does so in a generally effective way.

Performances and direction are good throughout with some inspired aesthetic choices, and although some plot points feel contrived and one feels far too obvious, it makes for a compelling watch. In 1919 Germany, Anna (Paula Beer) is dealing with the death of her fiancé Frantz (Anton von Lucke), who died while fighting in World War I.

One day while visiting his grave, she comes across an unknown French man named Adrien (Pierre Niney) as he lie flowers on Frantz's tomb, and he claims to be a friend of his from before the war. Anna and Adrien form a friendship that gravitates towards a romantic relationship as they deal with the loss together, but it becomes more complicated for Anna as she learns more about Adrien's life.

Both actors demonstrate chemistry that is able to shift along with the story as it progresses, and director/co-writer François Ozon keeps a solid pace and tone over the film's 113 minutes. The different genres and their respective emotions that Frantz taps into are what give the movie its sense of identity most of the time.

It's a drama throughout with aspects of a romance as it makes its way into act two, and it develops into film noir. These changes are all well executed and feel cohesive. The movie is in black and white for a vast majority of its runtime, but its flashbacks happen to be in color, a choice that dies a good job at differentiating not just the time periods, but the moods associated with them due to Frantz's being alive at that time.

The black and white cinematography is very pretty in a subdued kind of way, being still without being stagnant. Emotionally, the film benefits from the aforementioned meshing of genres, tapping into some pretty universe themes in the process.

The issues with Frantz aren't plentiful, but they generally arise from the script. Ozon and co-writer Philippe Piazzo craft an interesting story--which actually happens to be based on the work of Ernst Lubitsch--but it does stumble a few times, mostly due to the way that a crucial revelation is revealed in the middle of the film.

It's so entirely obvious and the surprise that we're supposed to share with the main character is lost from the first minute. At least what follows is engaging, but the midpoint is glaring and could have been told to the viewer at the beginning without losing any punch.

Some plot points feel too clean and contrived, but they aren't quite enough to take you out of the experience. There are also two or three moments where the pacing slows down, but these can be overlooked.

Frantz isn't perfect and it isn't as great as it could have been, but it without a doubt is good. From a directing and acting standpoint, it has an emotional path in its sights and follows it nicely with variation and among the journey.

Smooth and clearly, it finds its way to a satisfying and earned ending, even if some stops on the way there felt a bit off. 7.8/10, good, B, above average, etc.