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Moulin
László Nemes's Moulin is a handsome, grave wartime drama about the Resistance leader Jean Moulin, and the critics who saw it at Cannes were genuinely split. The craft and the two lead performances win praise; the pace, the familiar story and a thin point of view draw the complaints.
Worth seeing for the 35mm look and the central duel, less so if you want a fast thriller. It opens in French cinemas on 28 October.
Dir. László Nemes · 2026 · 130 min · in French cinemas from 28 October
The setup
France, 1943. Jean Moulin, played by Gilles Lellouche, is the man sent in by de Gaulle to bind the country's quarrelling Resistance networks into one movement. Reviews describe an opening built like a spy thriller: a night-time parachute drop, whispered meetings, false names. Then comes a tip-off, a mass arrest at a doctor's surgery outside Lyon, and a cell in the hands of the SS officer Klaus Barbie, played by Lars Eidinger. That is where the first act ends, and where this review stops.
It is László Nemes's first film in French, from a script by Olivier Demangel, and it played in competition at Cannes in May. Critics were split, which makes it a useful film to read about before you decide.
What works
The craft draws the warmest words. The film was shot on 35mm by Mátyás Erdély, the cinematographer Nemes has worked with before, and several critics single out the noir-leaning contrast of the early scenes. The Film Stage's Luke Hicks praises the suspense of that night-time opening and the immersive period design. Lellouche is described as grounded, a hero who doubts whether he can endure, and Eidinger as a Barbie who is calm and almost friendly until he is not.
"…never curdling into bleakness or hagiography."
Ben Croll, TheWrap
That is the case for the film in one line: a story of endurance that neither wallows nor builds a statue.
What doesn't
The harshest reading comes from Little White Lies, where David Jenkins finds a polished surface with little behind it: no viewpoint beyond "hero versus villain", plenty of historical detail but no reason to retell a well-known story, and a style he thinks leans on violence in place of feeling. Even the admirers admit the pace is methodical, with long stretches of couriers, codes and meetings. Hicks finds Nemes's usual strangeness toned down and less memorable than in his earlier work. Expect grim material, and expect it to be heavy going in places.
Where the critics land
This is a film where the numbers show the split. Metacritic lists a score of 67 from 11 critics, with six positive, four mixed and one negative. JoBlo's Chris Bumbray calls it a harsh movie but a worthy one; Jenkins calls it "drab". Our score sits between the two, closer to the admirers: the craft and the central performance are well attested, and the doubts are mostly about ambition and pace, not competence.
Who it's for
- Viewers who like slow, tense wartime dramas about conscience and resistance.
- Anyone curious about Nemes after Son of Saul, with the caveat that critics find this one tamer.
- Not for you if you want a fast spy thriller, or a fresh angle on a very well-documented story.
Where to watch
The film opens in French cinemas on 28 October. Release dates elsewhere were not confirmed in the sources we read, and availability varies by country, so check your local listings. Reports say streaming rights were pre-bought by Disney+ and HBO Max, but we have no dates for them.