विदाई, मिस्टर हाफमैन

To set the scenes appropriately, extract the best from your actors and reduce the background music - make the audience they're a part of the movie too - simply brilliant!

It's a drama set in Paris, France, beginning in May 1941 and extending into late 1942. It follows the story of a Jewish-owned jewelry shop after the Germans have taken over Paris.

Joseph Haffmann (Daniel Auteuil) is a successful middle-aged jeweler of great skill. When he sees signs stating all Jews need to report for a census, he sends his wife and three children to a safer area in Vichy France. François Mercier (Gilles Lellouche) is Haffmann's recently-hired French assistant. Mercier is an unhappy man who could not serve in the army because of a bad leg that requires a brace. He is also despondent because, after several years of marriage, he cannot have children with his wife, Blanche (Sara Giraudeau). The doctors have indicated Blanche is healthy, so François blames himself.

Haffmann concocts a scheme to save his business during the German occupation by "selling" it to Mercier, with the understanding he will repurchase the shop after the war. He promises to help Mercier then set up his own shop. Mercier agrees though Blanche is skeptical. However, Haffmann is foiled in his efforts to follow his family and is forced to hide with the Merciers, who have already moved into Haffmann's home above the shop.

The film then follows the difficult changes in the relationship between Haffmann and the Merciers, especially since a German Commandant named Jünger (Nikolai Kinski) becomes a major customer of the store. Relationships deteriorate until a surprise allows for a righteous ending.

"Adieu Monsieur Haffmann" is perhaps the best film I've seen this year. The acting, direction, and cinematography, are all excellent. The righteous ending seems a little improbable and subtracts my rating from a 10 to a 9. The viewer gets into the souls of the three principal characters. The film is derived from a play, so almost all the action takes place in one building. Highly recommended.

I just watched this wonderful movie at the Jewish film festival. It's a tremendously acted period piece taking place in the Nazi occupation of France from may 41 through July of 42. A Jewish jeweler sends his family to hopeful safety in the south zone while he arranges to sell his store temporarily to a non Jewish worker until after the war. What comes next is gripping and suspenseful. Great cinematography and direction but most of all the actors were outstanding mr haffman. Mr mercier and his wife and the Nazi officer were all excellent. It's a simple movie with no special effects or action scenes just a great story that stays with you. Great job.

Based on a stage play, this movie is a fictious story of the unsafe situation of jews in WW2 occupied Paris.

The story takes place over the period from early 1941 - not long after the Nazi's occupied part of France - until the end of 1942. It focusses on a jewish jeweler and a french family.

Since the story is based on a stage play, it takes place on a very small area: i.e. Mainly the building in which the jewelry (work)shop is located. So you will not see anything from occupied Paris. Neither will you see much military action or many WW2 props.

Overall, I think it is a basic story which does't provide or educted you on significant events that took place during WW2.

The very excellent roleplay that the actors treat you with, will make this movie still a worthwile viewing experience. Their acting is of such level that they were able to keep my attention fully caught on the events.

Concluding, I score this movie with 6.3/10, resulting in a IMDb rating of 6 stars.

Flawless work by the cast make this watch an emotion inducing one. It's a people story full of artistic expressions. Great visuals to portray how lives changed. A chronicle on what people saw, felt and had to live through in a time of death. Farewell Mr. Haffmann is for the keen minds to revisit history and admire the strange ways of human mind the fountain of persona.