Overview
A young man caught between loyalty and survival in a war-torn France.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- austere
- dispassionate
- unsettling
- serious historical viewing
- arthouse film night
What critics said
Critics overwhelmingly praise Louis Malle’s ambitious, provocative, visually expressive examination of French collaboration and moral ambiguity.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Lucien becomes an accomplice to the German police after failing to join the resistance, while the film withholds easy psychological explanations or moral absolution.
Malle’s calm, expressive camerawork lets Lucien’s actions and relationships accumulate without overtly naming innocence, guilt, or redemption.
Eighteen-year-old Lucien moves from farm work into the German police apparatus during the final months of Vichy France.
Pierre Blaise’s casting as Lucien was specifically praised for capturing the character’s feral, none-too-bright quality without conventional theatrical polish.
Films like Lacombe, Lucien, and why
The Sorrow and the Pity
morally ambiguous wartime drama examining collaboration, complicity, and ordinary people under occupation
Army of Shadows
French wartime drama confronting collaboration, resistance, and compromised personal loyalties
The Garden of the Finzi-Continis
coming-of-age drama in which youthful desire and moral confusion unfold amid fascist occupation
The Conformist
dispassionate historical drama about culpability and social conformity under Nazi power
Movie Details
- Director
- Louis Malle
- Release Date
- 1974-01-30
- Runtime
- 138 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (169)
Cast
- Pierre Blaise
- Aurore Clément
- Holger Löwenadler
- Therese Giehse
- Stéphane Bouy
- Loumi Iacobesco
- René Bouloc
- Jean Rougerie
- Pierre Decazes
- Jacqueline Staup
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Lacombe, Lucien about?
- An opaque eighteen-year-old drifts into collaboration with the German police as wartime loyalties, desire, and conscience collide in occupied France.
- What is Lacombe, Lucien like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Lacombe, Lucien as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Lacombe, Lucien violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Lacombe, Lucien as moderate.
- What did critics think of Lacombe, Lucien?
- Critics overwhelmingly praise Louis Malle’s ambitious, provocative, visually expressive examination of French collaboration and moral ambiguity.
- Which films are like Lacombe, Lucien?
- Films with a similar feel include The Sorrow and the Pity, Army of Shadows, The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, and The Conformist.
- How long is Lacombe, Lucien?
- Lacombe, Lucien runs 138 minutes.
- Where can I watch Lacombe, Lucien?
- In United States, Lacombe, Lucien streams on Criterion Channel.
