Film ReviewsFrantz: Ambiguity of Truth
May 18, 2017 Anchorage Press
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There are no such thing as alternative facts. Facts are certain and undeniable actions, occurrences, and events cemented in time, creating historical markers that map out the trajectory of human existence and understanding. Facts happen and they are true.
In Director François Ozon’s new film, Frantz, the title character died during World War I — that is a fact. The young Frantz was from Quedlinburg, Germany, where he left behind two loving parents and his fiancée, Anna, played by Paula Beer. As the trio struggles to pick up the pieces, a stranger comes to town and adds a new dimension to the Frantzes story. The stranger is Adrien, played by Pierre Niney. Adrien also fought in the war, but on the other side, so even though he professes to have been Frantz’s friend, Adrien is met with a chilly reception that eventually gives way to warm feelings fueled by hope.
The character of Frantz is at first hidden like that of Harry Lime in The Third Man, but the difference is that Frantz was no Harry Lime, he really is dead, and unlike Lime, Frantz becomes an idea that is all good. The idea of Frantz is the idea of love, brotherhood, and forgiveness for the post war generation. This is particularly important because after every war there is a generation that is lost, it's the generation that has to bridge the gap between a pre-war world and a world that has to heal the wounds of victors and victims alike. Anna represents this lost generation, and as woman, needs to carve out a new place in history.
The plot itself is interesting, but what makes it even more so is that it pivots on the idea that human beings have the power to accept facts and interpret truth. Ana becomes the arbitrator of truth, who delivers it as she sees fit, at times with mercy, and at other times with razor sharpness. Ozon is known for his delivery of complex ideas and characters that walk a fine moral line, like his two protagonists in Swimming Pool, in which murder really is secondary to the relationship between the characters. Anna, as a shaper of reality, runs the risk of being judged by viewers, but then again, so does Adrien. There is nothing simple about each’s true motives and emotional needs.
Ozon has created signature aesthetics around his works. His films are beautiful and they are sultry, even in black-and-white. The choice of color, or lack thereof in Frantz, is particularly curious because Ozon makes it a point to interject color, breaking the visual narrative from the mostly black and white film at distinct points. This particular device is sometimes successful and sometimes not; it’s is not consistent enough, it seems unbalanced and at intervals that don’t solidly correspond to articulated and steadfast emotional markers. The colorization device works and is compelling twice or thrice, but otherwise, it's just distracting.
At this stage of Ozon’s prolific career, Frantz can be understood alongside an array of other films that bear his distinct mark, including evolution of themes and leitmotifs, unforeseeable plot twists and character development that force viewers to suspend judgement and open their minds to possibilities outside of their own experience. In his own evolution as a director and perhaps as a person, Ozon has honed in on sexual and moral fluidity in human beings. It’s this fluidity that allows Frantz to explore ambiguous interpretation of facts, creating variant ideas of truth, as if truth were a diamond that is essentially pure but with multiple facets that allow for context-based interpretation.
Showtimes:
- Art House-
Monday, 5/22
5:30 pm
Run time: 1:53 h
Movie Rating: PG-13.
In Director François Ozon’s new film, Frantz, the title character died during World War I — that is a fact. The young Frantz was from Quedlinburg, Germany, where he left behind two loving parents and his fiancée, Anna, played by Paula Beer. As the trio struggles to pick up the pieces, a stranger comes to town and adds a new dimension to the Frantzes story. The stranger is Adrien, played by Pierre Niney. Adrien also fought in the war, but on the other side, so even though he professes to have been Frantz’s friend, Adrien is met with a chilly reception that eventually gives way to warm feelings fueled by hope.
The character of Frantz is at first hidden like that of Harry Lime in The Third Man, but the difference is that Frantz was no Harry Lime, he really is dead, and unlike Lime, Frantz becomes an idea that is all good. The idea of Frantz is the idea of love, brotherhood, and forgiveness for the post war generation. This is particularly important because after every war there is a generation that is lost, it's the generation that has to bridge the gap between a pre-war world and a world that has to heal the wounds of victors and victims alike. Anna represents this lost generation, and as woman, needs to carve out a new place in history.
The plot itself is interesting, but what makes it even more so is that it pivots on the idea that human beings have the power to accept facts and interpret truth. Ana becomes the arbitrator of truth, who delivers it as she sees fit, at times with mercy, and at other times with razor sharpness. Ozon is known for his delivery of complex ideas and characters that walk a fine moral line, like his two protagonists in Swimming Pool, in which murder really is secondary to the relationship between the characters. Anna, as a shaper of reality, runs the risk of being judged by viewers, but then again, so does Adrien. There is nothing simple about each’s true motives and emotional needs.
Ozon has created signature aesthetics around his works. His films are beautiful and they are sultry, even in black-and-white. The choice of color, or lack thereof in Frantz, is particularly curious because Ozon makes it a point to interject color, breaking the visual narrative from the mostly black and white film at distinct points. This particular device is sometimes successful and sometimes not; it’s is not consistent enough, it seems unbalanced and at intervals that don’t solidly correspond to articulated and steadfast emotional markers. The colorization device works and is compelling twice or thrice, but otherwise, it's just distracting.
At this stage of Ozon’s prolific career, Frantz can be understood alongside an array of other films that bear his distinct mark, including evolution of themes and leitmotifs, unforeseeable plot twists and character development that force viewers to suspend judgement and open their minds to possibilities outside of their own experience. In his own evolution as a director and perhaps as a person, Ozon has honed in on sexual and moral fluidity in human beings. It’s this fluidity that allows Frantz to explore ambiguous interpretation of facts, creating variant ideas of truth, as if truth were a diamond that is essentially pure but with multiple facets that allow for context-based interpretation.
Showtimes:
- Art House-
Monday, 5/22
5:30 pm
Run time: 1:53 h
Movie Rating: PG-13.