'Frantz' (2016)

I enjoyed the sombre war drama 'Frantz' (2016) which is shot mostly in monochrome but with scenes of colour. It felt to me like a movie that will someday be looked back upon as timely as it deals with division. It looks at how people cleverly shade their prejudices and dog whistle, how the aristocracy has traditionally relied on demonisation and division to conquer, how different tiers of society maintain intact "protective" layers (by birth, religion, status ...), how uncomfortable life can become for a quiet outsider surrounded by flag-waving nationalists, issues of Catholic guilt and absolution. Some of these themes are in keeping with the director Francois Ozon's work more generally.

I would watch it in a double-bill with 'Axis Sally : The Trial Of An American Traitor' (2021) which I watched and enjoyed a couple of weeks ago.