What is Adieu Monsieur Haffmann worth, with Daniel Auteuil? (critical)

Fred Cavayé’s historical drama arrives on France 2, also starring Gilles Lellouche and Sara Giraudeau.

Farewell Mr Haffmann takes place in the early 1940s, when France has just lost the war and the German occupation begins. An agreement will happen between the two heroes of the plot. On one side, François Mercier (Gilles Lellouche), an ordinary man who only aspires to start a family with the woman he loves, Blanche (Sarah Giraudeau). On the other, Mr. Haffmann (Daniel Auteuil,), a talented jeweler who employs François. But faced with the occupation, the two men will have no other choice than to conclude an agreement whose consequences, over the months, will upset the destiny of the three characters.

Sixth feature film Fred Cavayé (For her, The game…), Farewell Mr Haffmann is adapted from the eponymous play by Jean-Philippe Daguerre, a big theatrical success of 2018. Sarah Giraudeau was honored for her performance in the film at the Sarlat festival the following year.

Is this film adaptation successful? Here is our review, shared on the occasion of its first free-to-air broadcast, this Sunday on France 2.

After three effective thrillers (for her, Point blank, Mea culpa), Fred Cavayé decided to change register with Radin Then The gametwo undeniable popular successes but disappointing compared to its “first life”.

By adapting the play by Jean-Philippe Daguerre, crowned by two Molières in 2018, he ventures for the first time into a non-contemporary subject. In this case, the Occupation, where a Jewish jeweler offers his employee and his wife, desperate not to get pregnant, to entrust him with his shop, on the condition that they hide him in the cellar to avoid a raid.

A strong subject, rich in ambiguous characters and finely distilled twists and turns, carried by an astonishing trio of actors (Daniel Auteuil – Gilles Lellouche – Sara Giraudeau) who just suffers from the filmmaker’s difficulty in freeing himself from the heaviness of the historical reconstruction . Even if the closed session allows him to free himself from it as much as possible.

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