France, 1940. As the Germans begin to occupy the country, the small town of Bussy is swamped by Parisians. Waiting for her prisoner-of-war husband to come home, Lucile Angellier leads a dreary life under the watchful eye of her mother-in-law. When a garrison of German soldiers comes to the village, the two women are forced to take in an officer. But even as the presence of the enemy disrupts their lives, Lucile begins to fall for the German’s charm …

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The story behind Suite Française is extraordinary: part of an unfinished series by Irène Némirovsky, who was deported and killed in Auschwitz in 1942, the book was discovered by her daughters and published in 2004 to phenomenal success. The movie adaptation concentrates on "Dolce", the second story in the saga about impossible love during the Occupation. Director Saul Dibb (The Duchess starring Keira Knightley) has experience in the genre and hands the screen over to Michelle Williams and Matthias Schoenaerts, accompanied by narration that is as heavy as it is useless. Better to focus on the supporting roles, such as the very good Sam Riley and Ruth Wilson, for a bit of life in this simplistic drama that is at least strung together well.