Overview
A poignant exploration of love and loss in post-war Germany, where the past lingers heavily.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- austere
- suspenseful
- quiet evening
- reflective weekend
What critics said
Critics broadly praised François Ozon's thoughtful, suspenseful exploration of grief, memory, xenophobia, and postwar reconciliation, while noting its measured pace.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Anna and the Hoffmeister family struggle to accept Adrien, a French visitor connected to the German soldier Frantz, amid bitterness after Germany's defeat.
Adrien's stated connection to Frantz and the truth behind his visit alter Anna's understanding of grief, intimacy, and memory.
The film's predominantly black-and-white period imagery, contrasted with moments of color, gives grief and recollection a heightened visual register.
The German family's relationship with Adrien is shaped by national resentment, the Great War, and the possibility of personal connection across borders.
Films like Frantz, and why
Ida
shares a postwar period setting, intimate grief, moral ambiguity, and a restrained European romantic drama style
The White Ribbon
shares a postwar examination of memory, divided national identities, and emotionally controlled black-and-white cinematography
A Very Long Engagement
shares a wartime aftermath romance shaped by deception, mourning, and difficult cross-cultural reconciliation
Movie Details
- Director
- François Ozon
- Release Date
- 2016-09-07
- Runtime
- 113 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (761)
Cast
- Pierre Niney
- Paula Beer
- Ernst Stötzner
- Marie Gruber
- Johann von Bülow
- Anton von Lucke
- Cyrielle Clair
- Alice de Lencquesaing
- Axel Wandtke
- Rainer Egger
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Brew, OVID, 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 Frantz about?
- A grieving German woman forms an uneasy bond with the Frenchman who arrives carrying secrets about her fallen fiancé.
- What is Frantz like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Frantz as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Frantz violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Frantz as mild.
- What did critics think of Frantz?
- Critics broadly praised François Ozon's thoughtful, suspenseful exploration of grief, memory, xenophobia, and postwar reconciliation, while noting its measured pace.
- Which films are like Frantz?
- Films with a similar feel include Ida, The White Ribbon, and A Very Long Engagement.
- How long is Frantz?
- Frantz runs 113 minutes.
- Where can I watch Frantz?
- In United States, Frantz streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Brew, OVID, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
