Paula Beer and Pierre Niney in Frantz François Ozon – Mars films
    • 09/07/2016 at 07:05
    • updated

to get to finance Frantz
 François Ozon had a rough time. “Convincing producers to put money into a film in black and white, subtitled in German and costumes was not an easy task,” he recalled for 20 Minutes . This superb melodrama in which Pierre Niney, French soldier survivor of the First World War, visited the family of an enemy killed in action is a wonder.

“Today, when people claim borders and are increasingly nationalistic, I wanted to tell this story that preaches brotherhood among peoples and shows that war kills both sides, “says the filmmaker. It is wise to prepare tissues before the vision of this great melodrama.



Some current topics in a period film

The reports of the young man broken by that he lived with parents and fiancée of the deceased (sublime Paula Beer, a discovery) allow the director to a new friend to address current themes. “I put back to back the nationalism of the French and Germans to show that fighters were similar, he says 20 Minutes . Xenophobic reactions that causes my heroes are very current: Frantz talking about a fear, that of overseas remains strong today. “

In a key scene, the German girl hears the Marseillaise in a Parisian cafe. “I was exciting to show his views face these warlike words because violence was in both camps,” insists the filmmaker.



The lie in question

the emotion flush when you discover the true motivations of as fragile as courageous heroes. “At a time when we constantly talk about transparency and where we want to know everything about people’s private life, it seemed interesting to report that all truths are not good to say or to know,” says François Ozon.

The lie is at the center of his narrative. It appears sometimes painful or beneficent according to people who transmit or receive. “It’s like the cinema where we need to believe in what we see if we want to enjoy the movie. Frantz is an apology from fiction,” laughs the director who evolving balance between fictional narrative and cruel reality culminating in a fantastic message of hope.

a totally European Film

Loosely based on the film Broken Lullaby (1932) Ernst Lubitsch, itself based on a piece of
 Maurice Rostand, Frantz is a decidedly multicultural work. “I am delighted that this film, played by the Germans and the French and directed by a French, makes its world premiere at the
 Venice Film Festival. This is quite in the spirit of a totally European feature film. “

This beautiful story that highlights the collateral damage of an atrocious war plunges into the psychology of severely traumatized characters. “Pierre Niney learned German in phonetics assisted by Paula Beer who speaks French. Is this not an example of brotherhood among peoples? “Smiles François Ozon. Frantz is, in any case, one of its greatest achievements

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