Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- romantic
- tense
- melancholic
- historical drama night
- period romance evening
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film to be a solidly crafted period romance and war drama, elevated by Christopher Plummer and its supporting cast but limited by an uneven or overly straightforward construction.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Captain Stefan Brandt's assignment to protect Kaiser Wilhelm II is complicated by his clandestine affair with Mieke de Jong.
The affair unfolds within a Nazi-controlled environment involving German authority, Dutch resistance, and Himmler's arrival.
The isolated countryside estate near Utrecht houses the Kaiser while Brandt investigates rumors of a spy and guards against assassination.
The film centers on the silver-haired former Kaiser and Princess Hermine within an aristocratic estate threatened by Nazi power.
Films like The Exception, and why
Allied
shares a wartime period romance shaped by espionage, divided loyalties, and moral compromise
Suite Française
shares an elegant historical romance set against Nazi power, resistance, and personal danger
Atonement
shares a literary wartime romance combining clandestine relationships with political peril
The English Patient
shares a restrained period drama about forbidden intimacy under authoritarian rule
Movie Details
- Director
- David Leveaux
- Release Date
- 2017-06-02
- Runtime
- 107 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (480)
Cast
- Lily James
- Jai Courtney
- Eddie Marsan
- Christopher Plummer
- Janet McTeer
- Daisy Boulton
- Ben Daniels
- Stéphane Auberghen
- Aubeline Barbieux
- Loïs van Wijk
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Exception about?
- An emotionally perilous affair unfolds between a German officer and a Dutch maid while he protects the exiled Kaiser from assassination and spies.
- What is The Exception like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Exception as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Exception violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Exception as mild.
- What did critics think of The Exception?
- Critics broadly found the film to be a solidly crafted period romance and war drama, elevated by Christopher Plummer and its supporting cast but limited by an uneven or overly straightforward construction.
- Which films are like The Exception?
- Films with a similar feel include Allied, Suite Française, Atonement, and The English Patient.
- How long is The Exception?
- The Exception runs 107 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Exception?
- In United States, The Exception streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
