We have by now seen what feels like every permutation possible of a World War II narrative. Not so, it turns out, for Belgian director Michaël R. Roskam (The Drop) has managed to find a new angle with his Le Faux Soir, which takes us into a surprisingly comical act of defiance against the Nazis. Fascists hate being laughed at. We should do so all the time.
Based on real events, and an adaptation of author Marie Istas’ 1993 nonfiction book Le “Faux” Soir: 9 novembre 1943, the movie tells the thrilling tale of how a cell of the Belgian resistance in Brussels decided to publish a satirical version of the evening newspaper “Le Soir” (which means “evening” in French, and “faux” means “fake”). It may have been a funny idea, but it was no easy feat, and there were, eventually, consequences. But what better way to show invaders that they do not control you than to crack a joke right under their noses?
It’s 1943, and unemployed poet Marc Aubrion (Arieh Worthalter, Who by Fire) passes the time by printing farcical anti-Nazi poems and leaving them in random books of a Brussels library. He thinks he goes unobserved, but not so. Soon, his actions earn him an unasked-for meeting with the leadership of the local resistance chapter. They enlist his help printing subversive material, giving him the nom-de-plume “Yvon” as cover (no one goes by their actual name).
But the work they ask him to undertake doesn’t strike him as a worthy form of disobedience, so he proposes something bolder. He wants to put out a fake version of the official city paper, one that will contain actual news (written in a humorous style) to counter the nonstop propaganda the populace is normally served. The heads of the resistance agree, and the game is afoot.
The process of making it all happen is full of intrigue, and Roskam keeps the action (and the gags) rolling along. No matter the frequent lightness of the material, however, we are always aware of the danger courted by all involved. We never forget that we are dealing with Nazis.
The ensemble is exceptionally strong, among them Bouli Lanners (Nobody Has to Know), Karim Leklou (Vincent Must Die), Mara Taquin (On the Edge), and Mélanie Thierry (Da 5 Bloods). The relationships between the characters work because the actors are fully invested, whether in the fun or the risk of the enterprise. As a result, Le Faux Soir—some occasional issues of pacing notwithstanding—proves as fully satisfying as the mission at its center. Score one for the anti-fascists.
Christopher Llewellyn Reed
Chris Reed is the editor of Film Festival Today. A member of both the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) and the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, Chris is, in addition, lead film critic at Hammer to Nail and the author of Film Editing: Theory and Practice.