Slovak premiere

French director Xavier Giannoli returns to one of the most painful chapters of French history in his latest historical epic, The Rays and Shadows – the era of collaboration during the Second World War. Inspired by the real lives of journalist Jean Luchaire and his daughter Corinne Luchaire, the film traces the transformation of an idealistic pacifist into one of the most prominent collaborators with the Nazi regime. Told in retrospect from Corinne’s perspective, the story follows the young film star as she struggles after the war to come to terms with her own past, her loyalty to her father, and the condemnation she faces from society.

Rather than offering a conventional historical reconstruction, Giannoli crafts a complex study of moral compromise, self-delusion, and the mechanisms of power. The luxurious salons of occupied Paris, media manipulation, and the allure of social status stand in stark contrast to the horrors of war, which remain deliberately off-screen, hidden in the shadows – just as the protagonists themselves refuse to acknowledge them. In doing so, the film raises uncomfortable questions about personal responsibility, opportunism, and society’s capacity for forgetting.

The film sparked intense debate and controversy in France for its ambivalent portrayal of historical figures, while also earning exceptional acclaim from both audiences and critics. Praise has been directed at Jean Dujardin for one of the darkest performances of his career, as well as at newcomer Nastya Golubeva for her remarkable portrayal of Corinne.

Cast: Jean Dujardin, Nastya Golubeva, August Diehl, Olivier Chantreau, Anna Próchniak, André Marcon, Philippe Torreton

Sales: Gaumont