For a Woman

Author/director Diane Kurys created this important little film in 2013 and it has not had the exposure it deserves. It is a contemporary story that reflects n World War II, the Holocaust, marital infidelity, and the strength of sustaining love struggling against the vagaries of time, memory, and courage of surviving the atrocities of war.

Very simply, FOR A WOMAN (Pour une femme) is the story of the marriage between Michel (Benoît Magimel) and Lena (Mélanie Thierry) as told by their daughter Anne (Sylvie Testud) with reflections on the mystery of abiding love. Michel and Lena escaped a Nazi death camp under the guise of being engaged. They married, had children, separated, and died. The time frame is between 1947, shortly into the marriage, and the 1980s, when the mother has died and the father is ill. Anne, the younger of the couple's two daughters, is a filmmaker going through her mother's mementos and reconstructing the events of the early marriage. During the period in 1947, the husband's brother Jean (Nicolas Duvauchelle) reappears. Thought to have been killed in the war, his reappearance creates many questions and triggers stresses in the marriage - among which is Jean's alliance with an anti-Nazi group (with Sacha - Clément Sibony) and the effects that has on his relationship with Lena.

The acting is outstanding; the messages about the Jewish/Nazi conflict, and the ability of love to survive almost every obstacle are important and well portrayed. Recommended. In French with English subtitles.

We got to see this interesting French film as part of this year's Jewish Film Festival in San Jose, CA. The story's about a couple who escaped a Nazi death camp partly because of the subterfuge of being engaged. They married, had kids, separated, and died. The movie jumps between 1947, shortly into the marriage, and the decade of the 1980s, when the mother has died and the father is ill. The younger of the couple's two daughters is a filmmaker going through her mother's mementos and reconstructing the events of the early marriage. During the period in 1947, the husband's brother reappears. He was thought to have been killed in the war and his reappearance creates many questions and triggers stresses in the marriage.

All of this occurs at a pace that seems like a French film, which is what it is. The movie takes plenty of time to unwind the story and it's a complex story. Things are not what they seem, people change. In the end, most things are resolved.

I really like this film as a way of tapping into a very personal French perspective on World War II, Nazis, and the Holocaust. It's a rich story, well told.

In the 80's, the sisters Anne (Sylvie Testud) and Tania (Julie Ferrier) are looking at the belongings of their deceased mother in a box and find a ring and the photo of her uncle Jean wearing the ring with their mother and Tania inside. Anne is a filmmaker and decides to research the story behind the ring. After the World War II, the Soviet Jewish Michel (Benoît Magimel) and Léna (Mélanie Thierry), who met each other at the Riversaltes Camp and married each other in a loveless wedding to leave the camp, apply for French citizenship since Michel was raised in France and joined the French Foreign Legion in the past. They move to Lyon, where Léna delivers their daughter Tania and Michel joins the Communist Party. When they receive their Frech citizenship, Michel opens a tailor's workshop and befriends Maurice (Denis Podalydès), who is the leader of the party, and his unfaithful wife Madeleine (Clotilde Hesme), who cheats him with the young member of the party Paul (Marc Ruchmann). Out of the blue, his missing brother Jean (Nicolas Duvauchelle), who was considered dead, appears at Michel's home. He welcomes Jean but tells Léna that he is not sure whether the man is Jean since he does not see him since they were boys. Michel hires Jean to work at the workshop and lodges him at home, and Jean helps him to be well-succeeded in business with new ideas, and soon he buys a car and a refrigerator. When Jean's friend Sacha (Clément Sibony) appears at the tailor's workshop, Michel hires and lodges him too. However, they do not give explanation how they reach France and Michel suspects of them. But soon Léna feels attracted by Jean that does not wish to betray his brother.

"Pour une femme", a.k.a. "For a Woman" (2013) is a nice French romance by Diane Kurys slightly based on her story. The plot is well developed in three periods: after the war; in the 80's; and in 1998. The performances are top-notch and it is not clear whether Anne is Jean's or Michel's daughter. The long and complex story is disclosed in the right pace and is never boring. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Por Uma Mulher" ("For a Woman")

I will never be able to understand it or tolerate it or forgive it. Not that it's for me to forgive, but I could never forgive anyone who supported and even assisted Communism. Sure, they were idealistic fools, but they refused to listen to reason. As did Michel when Jean tried to tell him.

In other respects, it's not the story of the parents told by the daughter as she would've had no way of knowing that much about them. It's just a narrative gimmick. I choose to look at it as another story about the aftermath of the Holocaust. Including marriage to a completely unknown individual in order to live. I have heard of those before and seen at least two other movies about it, one of which was French as well. The narrative and the dialogues spend a lot of time on Michel's past and his present affiliations and Jean's secret activities and not that much on Michel and Lena's relationship. To be honest Michel is not the most captivating of men, quite the opposite, he is patronizing and sexist, like most men of his generation probably. He does love Lena to the best of his abilities. And he was somewhat tolerant for that age. He never lays his hands on her, which is a small wonder. But I don't think Lena got over the way their relationship started. Which is why she jumps headfirst into a flimsy love affair with Jean. There isn't much there either. It's just one of those passionate affairs after a few longing looks. The French do them well and often, but I always have a hard time rooting for them as they seem quite empty and bound to be short-lived.

So it's the trauma of WWII and how it warped these people that I choose to focus on here.