Rays and Shadows

Paris, late 1930s. Press baron Jean Luchaire (Dujardin) still believes in peace between France and Germany; meanwhile his glamorous daughter Corinne (Nastya Golubeva) is rising fast as a screen star. During the Nazi occupation of Paris, both are drawn into the orbit of the German elite through their ties to the German ambassador (August Diehl, Inglourious Basterds). As Jean's newspaper increasingly becomes a mouthpiece for the Reich's antisemitism and Corinne saunters through embassy parties, director Giannoli traces the seductions of power with nuance and precision. Following his Cesar-winning Lost Illusions, Giannoli crafts a grand WWII drama about the consequences of collaboration, rich with modern parallels.