I'm a bit surprised by how briskly paced this is, and how direct the storytelling. The movie immediately launches into its plot, dashes through exposition, and keeps steadily moving, to the point of brusque forthrightness and leaping past nuance. One might reasonably be concerned, given the common and unfortunate trend of films that star an ensemble of women, that the writing will be characterized by tropes, and moreover a lighter tone that doesn't treat the material with all due seriousness. Well, there are definitely some tropes on hand, particularly when it comes to building the team, the dynamics between the members, and rounding out the threads for individual characters. But I'm happy to say that whatever else is true of 'Les femmes de l'ombre,' it doesn't remotely shy away from violence, nor emphatically darker vibes commensurate with the horribleness of the Nazis and the gravity of the scenario. I'm certainly not saying that it's perfect, but overall I think this is maybe even a bit better than I expected when I first sat to watch.
In the wide strokes one can surely draw parallels between this picture and other wartime thrillers. A plan is set, and executed, and that's when everything goes haywire such that our heroes have to act on the fly; there will be revelations about characters, whether for each other or for the audience, and invariably some will live while others die. I think it's unfortunate in this instance that filmmaker Jean-Paul Salomé and co-writer Laurent Vachaud partly zeroed in on the idea for their narrative of women having "delicate sensibilities" ill-suited for war and action - by Jove, the entire history of civilization proves otherwise, and rightly or wrongly it comes across that Salomé and Vachaud are simply sexist. Between the writing and direction there are also instances when an inclusion feels like a choice of a "cool cinematic moment" rather than an earnest, meaningful reflection of the characters, let alone historical context (as one prime example, consider the last time we see Gaëlle). On the other hand, in other regards the screenplay is quite shrewd: in the latter half in particular the plot and scene writing get extra busy and messy (not helped by the swift pacing), but this actually seems rather on-point for the urgency of the tale, and its nastiness; war is never neat and clean, and World War II least of all. And by and large the story is smart and compelling, even if it's imperfect in discrete ways, and Salomé's direction is broadly capable.
To the credit of all involved 'Les femmes de l'ombre' carries some real thrills with it as things fall apart, and it's otherwise very well made in every capacity one would hope. Stunts, effects, and action sequences are no joke, and are as robust as in any comparable fare. The production design, filming locations, costume design, and hair and makeup are plainly outstanding; the cinematography and editing demonstrate a keen eye. Though the strength of the writing is variable, at its best it's sharp and piercing - and so is the acting. In some measure the performances are informed by that same straightforward tack that defines the storytelling generally, yet the very least that can be said is that the actors are pulling no punches, Sophie Marceau least of all. Julie Depardieu, Marie Gillain, Déborah Francois, Maya Sansa, and all others on hand illustrate fine skills suiting the saga, as they've all proven elsewhere time and again. Really, more than not this is quite well done, and I'd actually like to say I enjoyed it more than I do. What I think it comes down to for me is that Salomé and Vachaud needed to rein in their impulses when it came to employing tropes (including even the last few minutes), or opting for bits that would look neat but sacrifice some verisimilitude, and instead intensify the violence and excitement the feature has to offer. Had the writing and direction spent more time latching onto the dire import and danger, and actualizing the stakes for the each character, the whole would have only benefited as it became more captivating of its own accord.
'Les femmes de l'ombre' is good, by all means, and I think it's worth watching. It perhaps just isn't as good as it could have been, and it isn't necessarily something one needs to go out of their way to see. Still, it's entertaining, and I'm glad that I took the time to check it out even if I see where it could have been improved. This isn't an absolute must-see, but it's a swell watch for something relatively modest in terms of viewer engagement, and deserves a look if you happen to come across it.
In the wide strokes one can surely draw parallels between this picture and other wartime thrillers. A plan is set, and executed, and that's when everything goes haywire such that our heroes have to act on the fly; there will be revelations about characters, whether for each other or for the audience, and invariably some will live while others die. I think it's unfortunate in this instance that filmmaker Jean-Paul Salomé and co-writer Laurent Vachaud partly zeroed in on the idea for their narrative of women having "delicate sensibilities" ill-suited for war and action - by Jove, the entire history of civilization proves otherwise, and rightly or wrongly it comes across that Salomé and Vachaud are simply sexist. Between the writing and direction there are also instances when an inclusion feels like a choice of a "cool cinematic moment" rather than an earnest, meaningful reflection of the characters, let alone historical context (as one prime example, consider the last time we see Gaëlle). On the other hand, in other regards the screenplay is quite shrewd: in the latter half in particular the plot and scene writing get extra busy and messy (not helped by the swift pacing), but this actually seems rather on-point for the urgency of the tale, and its nastiness; war is never neat and clean, and World War II least of all. And by and large the story is smart and compelling, even if it's imperfect in discrete ways, and Salomé's direction is broadly capable.
To the credit of all involved 'Les femmes de l'ombre' carries some real thrills with it as things fall apart, and it's otherwise very well made in every capacity one would hope. Stunts, effects, and action sequences are no joke, and are as robust as in any comparable fare. The production design, filming locations, costume design, and hair and makeup are plainly outstanding; the cinematography and editing demonstrate a keen eye. Though the strength of the writing is variable, at its best it's sharp and piercing - and so is the acting. In some measure the performances are informed by that same straightforward tack that defines the storytelling generally, yet the very least that can be said is that the actors are pulling no punches, Sophie Marceau least of all. Julie Depardieu, Marie Gillain, Déborah Francois, Maya Sansa, and all others on hand illustrate fine skills suiting the saga, as they've all proven elsewhere time and again. Really, more than not this is quite well done, and I'd actually like to say I enjoyed it more than I do. What I think it comes down to for me is that Salomé and Vachaud needed to rein in their impulses when it came to employing tropes (including even the last few minutes), or opting for bits that would look neat but sacrifice some verisimilitude, and instead intensify the violence and excitement the feature has to offer. Had the writing and direction spent more time latching onto the dire import and danger, and actualizing the stakes for the each character, the whole would have only benefited as it became more captivating of its own accord.
'Les femmes de l'ombre' is good, by all means, and I think it's worth watching. It perhaps just isn't as good as it could have been, and it isn't necessarily something one needs to go out of their way to see. Still, it's entertaining, and I'm glad that I took the time to check it out even if I see where it could have been improved. This isn't an absolute must-see, but it's a swell watch for something relatively modest in terms of viewer engagement, and deserves a look if you happen to come across it.