Female Agents

Despite progress since the 1940s, gender roles are still stifling under the weight of stereotypes. There are jobs that many people think should only be done by men, and others that are viewed as women’s work. So when we see departures from the norm, they should make us challenge our assumptions.

The wartime drama, Female Agents, looks at the part that a handful of women played in the Allied effort to launch a decisive offensive against Germany. Set in the spring of 1944, a French Resistance member, Louise (Sophie Marceau), is given an important assignment by Special Operations in London. She is to head up a rescue mission to free a British agent from the clutches of the Nazis, before they uncover details of top-secret plans for the Normandy Landings.

Clearly there’s a dearth of French women ready, willing and able to do the job. But through a combination of coercion and deception, Louise finds her femmes, and despite a couple of close shaves, they get the job done efficiently. However, their presumptions about being free to go home after a hard day’s work are totally shattered when they discover that they have another task: to assassinate the Nazi colonel whose shrewd deductions are threatening to scupper Allied plans.

From this point onwards the plot becomes tense, action-oriented and fast-moving. Director Jean-Paul Salomé has certainly achieved impeccable production values in the look and feel of the film, from lovingly created sets and genuine locations to perfectly tailored costumes, each element adding to its striking authenticity.

But whilst Female Agents should be commended for focusing on heroines, it doesn’t make a great leap away from the usual characterisations. The three recruits all conform to certain types: the strong-willed murderess who’s neither frightened of men nor of her pending fate (Julie Depardieu), the God-fearing Gaullist who’s far too fragile for combat (Déborah François), and the good-time girl whose trying to escape her furtive past (Marie Gillain). You also question whether the brains behind an operation of such magnitude would ever have to scrape around for the right personnel to execute it, and whether – though I hate to concede it – women would have been put at the helm.

The other porous areas of the film concern its credibility. You’ll probably find yourself having to park your disbelief at regular intervals because these untrained and inexperienced agents seem to have a canny knack for averting death, keeping their make-up looking pristine and having a varied wardrobe that surprisingly fits neatly into a small suitcase.

But then, how many entertaining Hollywood movies do we see that push the boundaries of belief? Exactly. And if Hollywood can do it, why can’t the French? You know a film is working when the anticipation makes you taut inside, when you side with characters you want to succeed and when a story that’s based on true events, however loosely, makes you thankful that you didn’t have to live during that time.

Praise should also be given to the acting – which never feels forced and compensates for some of the plot’s irregularities – with special mention going to Moritz Bleibtreu (Colonel Heindrich). All too often we’re subjected to the same hackneyed portrayal of Nazi officials, but Bleibtreu does a great job of humanising him. This is a man who’s broken-hearted, still desperately in love and fruitlessly trying to find a remedy. However, you never forget that there’s a reason for his high-ranking status, and ultimately, he belongs – heart, body and soul – to the Reich.

Finally, we can’t lose sight of what Female Agents is all about. The title sequence, which includes archive photos of women during World War II, reminds us of the contribution that this neglected and rather large group of people made, not just in combat but in their everyday lives, during one of the most significant periods of 20th century history.

Female Agents is out now at UK cinemas.

[Reviewed and posted by HC]

Comments

[Jay Smith]

This film is absolute nonsense, but with plenty of pictures of womens arses who cares? Tit shots too, naked women, intercut with violence, violence, more arse shots, more tits, focus on woman peeing herself, phew, really amazing and the women get beaten up, but they dont bruise, or have any of their prettiness damaged. Never a dull moment for those too think to watch a film about the french resistance.
God I hated this film