The Flood 2024 Movie. The French saying “Après moi, le déluge” (“After me, the flood”) is often attributed to Louis XV, expressing his indifference toward what would happen after his death. Ironically, it was his grandson, Louis XVI, who faced the real flood—the French Revolution that ended in his execution. This tumultuous period is the focus of The Flood 2024 movie, directed by Gianluca Jodice (The Bad Poet). The film zeroes in on the last days of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, portraying them as prisoners in the Temple Prison in Paris before their fateful end.
The Flood 2024 Movie
The Bottom Line: Heads will roll.
Venue: Locarno Film Festival (Opening Night)
Cast: Guillaume Canet, Mélanie Laurent, Aurore Broutin, Hugo Dillon, Tim Hudson, Roxane Duran
Director: Gianluca Jodice
Screenwriters: Filippo Gravino, Gianluca Jodice
Duration: 1 hour 41 minutes
In The Flood 2024 movie, Louis XVI (Guillaume Canet) and Marie-Antoinette (Mélanie Laurent) are already dethroned and imprisoned, left to confront their downfall. The film depicts their troubled marriage, loss of immense wealth, and the collapse of nearly 1,000 years of monarchy. Surprisingly, their confinement brings out a more human and even admirable side of the royal couple, suggesting that the Revolution, though tragic, allowed them to grow as individuals.
The Flood 2024 movie takes creative liberties, showing Louis XVI evolving from a confused ruler into a dignified patriarch ready to face his death. Marie-Antoinette, initially portrayed as a self-absorbed royal, becomes fiercely committed to her family by the time her husband is executed. The film, while rooted in historical events, leans more towards speculative fiction, offering a sympathetic portrayal of the king and queen.
Despite its speculative nature, The Flood 2024 movie is bolstered by nuanced performances from Canet and Laurent. Louis is shown as more aware and resigned to his fate than previous portrayals, while Marie-Antoinette is given depth and compassion, making her a more relatable figure than the often vilified queen seen in popular culture.
However, The Flood 2024 movie also portrays the revolutionaries as ruthless, with scenes like a prison guard coercing Marie-Antoinette into a sexual relationship. This one-sided depiction might feel exaggerated, but it serves to highlight the harsh realities faced by the royal couple during their final days.
Jodice’s direction in The Flood 2024 movie is commendable for its focus on the psychological and emotional turmoil of Louis and Marie-Antoinette, though it sacrifices the broader context of the Revolution. The film’s limited scope, confined mostly to the interiors of the prison, misses the monumental changes happening outside the prison walls.
The Flood 2024 movie ultimately presents the end of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette as a tragic conclusion to a flawed system, rather than as the beginning of a new era. Yet, the real flood that followed their deaths swept away centuries of despotism, laying the foundation for the modern world. The Flood 2024 movie captures this historical moment with an intimate lens, but it’s a narrow view of a much larger story.
