A deadbeat dad's lies outlive him when his German 'family' crashes his French funeral. Awkward.
During the inter-war period, a young German woman and her little girl arrive in a peaceful Provencal village. They have come to find the father of the latter, a Frenchman who was formerly a prisoner in Germany. But she arrives on the very day of his funeral. This unexpected arrival will cause trouble when the young German woman discovers that he had hidden his living conditions in Germany from the whole village, conditions that were not as uncomfortable as he claimed in his letters. Honorin, the mayor, will take in the two foreigners, while the village will be divided between those who are benevolent and those who are opposed to the presence of these two nationals of the former enemy country.
Acting
Michel Galabru's Honorin balances gruff and golden-hearted perfectly.
Writing
Chapot's script weaponizes politeness—every scene simmers with unspoken history.
Director
Jean Chapot
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Chapot made this for French TV in 1992, when post-war Franco-German reconciliation was still being actively mythologized—this quietly interrogates that narrative.
The title's Loreleï reference isn't random: Julia's 'siren song' is her inconvenient truth, luring the village toward self-knowledge they desperately resist.
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