Suite Française

"Forced to host the enemy. Tormented by intruders. Tempted by desire."

2015 1h 43m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

🍅

75%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

IMDB

★7.2TMDB · 1,158🍅75%Rotten Tomatoes●63Metacritic★7IMDB · 30,841

DramaRomanceWar

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

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.

“Forced to host the enemy. Tormented by intruders. Tempted by desire.”

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Cast

Michelle Williams
Lucille Angellier
Kristin Scott Thomas
Madame Angellier
Matthias Schoenaerts
Lieutenant Bruno Von Falk
Sam Riley
Benoit Labarie
Ruth Wilson
Madeleine Labarie
Heino Ferch
Major
Tom Schilling
Lieutenant Kurt Bonnet
Harriet Walter
Viscountess Montmort

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Saul Dibb
Writers: Saul Dibb, Matt Charman
Languages: English, German
Countries: Belgium, Canada, France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 61% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 11 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 3 countries: Belgium, Canada, France.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Saul Dibb, shot by Eduard Grau. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alexandre Desplat. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Chris Dickens shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Michelle Williams and Kristin Scott Thomas and Matthias Schoenaerts carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Saul Dibb directs. Eduard Grau behind the camera. Alexandre Desplat scores. Chris Dickens cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in Belgium, Canada, France. Dialogue in English, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Earned back only 61% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
2Released 11 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, German.
4International production across 3 countries: Belgium, Canada, France.
5Directed by Saul Dibb, shot by Eduard Grau. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Alexandre Desplat. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Chris Dickens shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Michelle Williams and Kristin Scott Thomas and Matthias Schoenaerts carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Forced to host the enemy. Tormented by intruders. Tempted by desire.".
10IMDB entry: tt0900387 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 8 themes, including "based on novel or book", "world war ii", "prisoner of war", "forbidden love".

The technical file

Cinematography: Eduard Grau
Original score: Alexandre Desplat
Editing: Chris Dickens
Production design: Michael Carlin
Costume design: Michael O'Connor
Makeup / hair: Sarah Kelly
VFX supervisor: Ronald Grauer
Sound: Howard Bargroff
Stunt coordinator: Dominique Fouassier
Runtime: 103 min · 1h 43m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $15,000,000
Box office: $9,104,716
Return: 61% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Suite Française (2015)
Rotten Tomatoes: 75% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 63/100
IMDB rating: 7/10 · 30,841 votes
MPAA: Not Rated

Awards

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. 4 nominations total

Also by

Saul Dibb

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Reno2016-12-04
★ 7/10
The two nations fighting each other, but not these two... A romance-drama that's set in the backdrop of the world war two. It tells the story of a young wife whose husband fighting Germans during the 1940s war. When her village was taken control by the Nazi army, an officer was assigned to stay in her house. He's not like the other German soldiers, they both unexpectedly fall in love, despite all the troubles around. An affair to keep hidden from everyone, though it was the beneficial in a way to those who are suffering. Practically impossible to keep it going, so how long and how it lasts follows in the remaining parts. A completely different kind of the world war two drama I have ever seen. Not easy to accept, since we know how that war was fought. But it was really a good take, something softer and romantic side. Michelle Williams and Matthias Schoenaerts were too good in their respective roles. Well made film with the beautiful cinematography and music, especially the direction. This film's special was its original source. That's an interesting story than this film. It was based on the book that published in 2004, but the manuscript was over 50 years old which was written during pre WWII. There are some tense moments, as well as romantically appeals, but the war influences all those to shape up the entire film. Surprised, because it was better than my anticipation. Only the end should have been improved. Like they concluded it by oral declaration, I would have liked them in the pictures, even it extends for another 15 or more minutes. Not recommended for everyone, but also not bad to try by everyone. 7/10

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