Luke McWilliams gives his review of the 2022 film based on true events, Kompromat.

In Russia, French diplomat Mathieu (Gilles Lellouche) aggravates the FSB (formerly KGB) with his staging of liberal cultural events and general ‘joie de vivre’ in his role as head of the Alliance Française. Soon a ‘kompromat’ is issued, framing Mathieu of a horrible crime, leading to his arrest and imprisonment.

Heavily inspired by true events, Mathieu models values that are antithetical to those of the FSB. Via flashbacks of Mathieu’s life as a father to his daughter, lover of art, dance and women, we learn that there is no one single reason for his circumstance.

Through flimsy evidence and a thorough stitch-up, Mathieu is in a very grim, Kafkaesque situation. The only slim, glimmer of hope is via the assistance of Svetlana (Joanna Kulig), the daughter-in-law of a head FSB agent. Svetlana is thankfully taken by Mathieu’s curation of a risqué ballet production, and further by his love of life: a world away from her own which is heavily monitored and weighed down further by the constant reminder of war. Mathieu has inspired a glimmer of light in Svetlana, which is fortunate given that he is completely stranded. The kompromat has isolated Mathieu from his work and family, with the French embassy helpless to act due to the sensitive state of Euro-Russian international relations.

The cinematography captures the stark, oppressive cityscape and the haunting, unhospitable woods that Mathieu is forced to navigate with a team of dogged assassins in tow.

Verdict: A nail-biting action thriller in the vein of The Fugitive. Vive la France! 4 stars.

Luke McWilliams, themovieclub.net.