Synopsis
France, 1940. In the first days of occupation, beautiful Lucile Angellier is trapped in a stifled existence with her controlling mother-in-law as they both await news of her husband: a prisoner of war. Parisian refugees start to pour into their small town, soon followed by a regiment of German soldiers who take up residence in the villagers' own homes. Lucile initially tries to ignore Bruno von Falk, the handsome and refined German officer staying with them. But soon, a powerful love draws them together and leads them into the tragedy of war.
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Cast
- Michelle WilliamsLucille Angellier
- Kristin Scott ThomasMadame Angellier
- Matthias SchoenaertsLieutenant Bruno Von Falk
- Sam RileyBenoit Labarie
- Ruth WilsonMadeleine Labarie
- Heino FerchMajor
- Tom SchillingLieutenant Kurt Bonnet
- Harriet WalterViscountess Montmort
- Alexandra Maria LaraLeah
- Clare HolmanMarthe
Recommendations
- 80
Time Out London
The film is not without its problems – Michelle Williams is an elusive lead, and a wide array of characters come at the expense of depth – but it’s a knotty, thoughtful piece of work nonetheless. - 80
CineVue
Love and war are a winning combination and Eduard Grau's cinematography, terrific performances all round, in particular the simmering chemistry between Schoenaerts and Williams, should ensure Suite Française's success as well as adding to Némirovsky’s fan base. - 70
Screen Daily
Suite Francaise exudes a sense of glossy class in its design, staging and costumes and its lead actress Michelle Williams is especially fine, responding perfectly to a role that could have been tricky. - 70
Variety
Clumsy storytelling decisions, however, can’t entirely get in the way of a good story, and it’s when Suite francaise focuses on the simplest human dynamics of its yarn that it forges a sincere emotional connection. - 63
Movie Nation
The central romance earns short shrift, with all these characters to service and all those story lines to get in. It doesn’t help that Williams’ Lucille doesn’t give herself over to the passion and never quite sells us this “relationship.” Schoenaerts broods over just what he might be putting on the line, but Williams is so cool that we don’t buy into the risks taken. - 60
Empire
Sterling performances lift the occasionally soapy storyline in this semi-successful adaptation. - 60
Total Film
A much-admired text is respectfully brought to the screen in a film that nonetheless struggles under the burden of its war movie clichés. - 60
The Telegraph
Well-played and divertingly handsome, it’s one of those pedigreed visions of love and war which backs away from specifics, reassuring us almost to death with its lavish craft. It’s thoroughly easy to sit through, when it should probably have been harder.
