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The Rays and Shadows

2026 · 199 min

A slow, heavy plunge into moral compromise and betrayal, watching ideals rot under occupation with a knot in your stomach.

Overview
Jean and Otto, a French newspaperman and a young German Francophile, are fighting for peace in Europe. Jean’s daughter, Corinne, is launching a brilliant acting career in the film world, but war breaks out and France is occupied. The two friends have a major role to play in this new France. Jean becomes a big press baron and an ardent advocate of collaboration with the occupying forces, while Otto becomes the Reich’s ambassador in Paris. Corinne, meanwhile, finds herself thrown into the lion’s pit.
In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 3 of 3
  • bleakstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
Pacing
slow-burn, 1 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
demanding, 4 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • betrayal
  • power
  • corruption
  • war
  • morality
Places
  • big city
  • workplace
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • ensemble
  • serialised
Content intensity
  • Gore mild
  • Language mild
  • Violence strong
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror2
Humour2
Realism8
Romance3
Tension7
Darkness8
Complexity8
Emotional weight8

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Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres
drama, history
Directed by
Xavier Giannoli
Written by
Jacques Fieschi, Yves Stavrides, Patrick Godeau, Xavier Giannoli
Starring
Jean Dujardin, Nastya Golubeva Carax, August Diehl, Olivier Chantreau, Anna Próchniak, Lucile Vignolles, Chloé Astor, Vincent Colombe
Music
Guillaume Roussel
Cinematography
Christophe Beaucarne
Runtime
199 min
Country
France
Languages
French, German

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