Farewell, Mr. Haffmann

Paris in 1942 is under the German grip, and ordinary life is turned into a tense balance of risk and secrecy. François Mercier, a jeweler's employee, dreams of starting a family with his beloved Blanche. He works for Joseph Haffmann, a skilled but older master whose shop is a landmark in the city. As occupation tightens its hold, the two men strike a fragile arrangement meant to shield Mercier and his wife from the crackdown, a decision that will drag three lives into a dangerous web. Over months the consequences of that choice ripple through the shop, the home, and the corridors of power, reshaping loyalties and testing every trust. The harsh setting sharpens every choice made for observers.

Directed by Fred Cavayé, Farewell, Mr Haffmann arrived in 2022 as an adaptation of Jean-Philippe Daguerre's stage play. Daniel Auteuil plays Joseph Haffmann, with Gilles Lellouche as François Mercier and Sara Giraudeau as Blanche, with Nikolai Kinski and Mathilde Bisson.

Critics have noted a restrained yet taut atmosphere that turns a private hardship into a broader study of loyalty under pressure. The script relies on economical dialogue and precise performances from Auteuil, Lellouche, and Giraudeau, exploring survival, trust, and the price of sheltering others under the occupier's watch in cinema.

Box office data for Farewell, Mr Haffmann is not widely publicized, reflecting a selective release strategy and a focus on word of mouth. The film nevertheless found audiences in markets sensitive to wartime dramas. Reception grew through word of mouth.

The film adds to a line of French dramas that examine life under occupation through intimate, human concerns. Its production design feels meticulous and the performances carry weight, turning a tale of compromise and friendship into a meditation on resilience and moral ambiguity during a dark chapter of history today.