Francois Ozon Paula Beer, Pierre Niney, Ernst Sttzner (Music Box Films) US theatrical: 17 Mar 2017 UK theatrical: 12 May 2017 2017

Here Lies Frantz Hoffmeister. Its 1919 Germany and, in the wake of World War I, a young man and woman, practically strangers, stand together by the grave of a man they both loved. Francois Ozons haunting, silky-smooth Frantz follows the bizarre, ever-distorting relationship that develops between Anna (Paula Beer), the titular vanished mans fiance, and Adrien (Pierre Niney), a Frenchman who claims to have befriended him in Paris before he fell on the battlefield. Like his best film, 2004s Swimming Pool, Frantz elevates a relatively conventional surface story with an understated but powerful sense of psychological terror.

Freely inspired by the 1932 Ernst Lubitsch film Broken Lullaby, Frantz takes place mostly in the small town of Quedlinburg, Germany, where the beautiful, broken Anna is living with her dearly departeds parents, Hans (Ernst Sttzner) and Magda (Marie Gruber), whom she holds so dear they may as well be her own. While visiting Frantzs empty grave, shes surprised to find Adrien tearfully leaving behind flowers. Anna introduces him to Magda and Hans, with the latter staunchly opposed to hosting a Frenchman in their home, considering their son died at the hands of his compatriots.

Adriens sheepish charm eventually wins them all over, and before long, theyre swooning as he regales them with stories of teaching Frantz to play violin and marveling at Manet paintings at the Louvre. Anna is flustered to find herself growing more and more attracted to their sinewy visitor: she fixes her hair in the mirror before meeting him at the door, admires his war wounds as he lays on the grass after a dip in the lake, has a laugh twirling with him at the town ball. Adriens none the wiser, however, as hes too consumed by the dark secret hes keeping from his new friends.

The true nature of Adriens relationship with Frantz propels the narrative forward in the way any good mystery should, but the real substance of the story lies in the reactions of Frantzs family and the less welcoming townsfolk to the Frenchmans presence. Each character is wrestling with their own inner conflict in the shadow of war, and with each interaction, the movie slowly develops into a deeply affecting examination of xenophobia and acceptance that feels strikingly relevant to our current political climate. While the Hoffmeisters and Anna see Adrien as the last friend Frantz ever made, their fellow denizens only see a face of the opposition. The war may be over, but their sons lives remain lost forever. Thus, the anti-French antagonism endures.

The story is far more emotionally charged than it is political, however, thanks to a couple of genuine plot surprises and Ozons focus on the progressively forbidden, delusional nature of Anna and Adriens relationship. The film is presented mostly in black and white, though some scenes transition slowly, gently into full color in a device that at first appears to be an emotional indicator but later reveals itself to serve a more specific narrative purpose. The elegance and timelessness of Ozons storytelling, both visually and structurally, makes Frantz exceptionally riveting, at least for the first hour or so. The third act, in which the film shifts into an odd, out-of-left-field procession of private investigating, is sadly quite flat, though the eerie final moments do cap the tale off nicely.

Music is used sparingly and deliberately throughout Frantz, with Ozon instead reveling in the music of natural noise. Every clunky footstep of the characters heavy shoes on the wooden floors of the Hoffmeisters cushy abode adds to the atmosphere and even, at times, creates a sense of tension and anticipation, like a slo-mo drum roll. The beautiful contrast of the black and white imagery is mirrored by the sound and music. The sound design elevates the narrative in a meaningful way, which is increasingly becoming a rarity in modern movies.

Beer and Niney, both ravishing, are endlessly watchable on screen, with each doing a fine job of building their characters inner strife layer by layer. Theyre tasked with conveying myriad conflicting emotions at once, often silently, with only their face, and they both rise to the occasion. Theres a lack of a certain electricity between them, however, that makes one wonder how the film might have been something very, very special had they found that spark. Still, Frantz is deceptively intoxicating film that further establishes Ozon as one of the most singular voices in world cinema.

Bernard Boo is a film critic, interviewer, podcaster, and proud member of the San Francisco Film Critics Circle. He writes stories weekly for DenofGeek.com, WeGotThisCovered.com, WayTooIndie.com and other online publications.

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'Frantz' Unfolds Elegantly Into a Haunting Meditation on Xenophobia and Acceptance - PopMatters