When it comes to period pieces there is no era I love to watch more on the silver screen than Nazi Germany, so count me excited for A24’s upcoming film THE EXCEPTION, which is set on Kaiser Wilhelm II’s estate after he was replaced in the German government by Adolf Hitler.
The German command gets word that a British spy has infiltrated the Kaiser’s (Christopher Plummer) grounds and it is up to his head of security Capt. Stefan Brandt (Jai Courtney) to find and stop this spy from harming the Kaiser. Meanwhile, Brandt has fallen in love with a young a maid in the house named Mieke de Jong (Lily James) who is in hiding from the German police because she is Jewish.
James’ performance looks remarkable as her character faces a multitude of demons while trying to simultaneously keep all of them hidden from the wrong people. The trailer hints at the possibility of de Jong being the spy, which would be an incredible twist at the end of this movie with how close she seems to become with not only Brandt but also the Kaiser himself.
This film has the potential to be the reverse version of Robert Zemeckis’ film Allied staring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard in which the two are married only for Pitt’s character to find out his wife is a Nazi spy. The trailer for The Exception leads one to believe the film could end in a similar tragic fashion but there is still so much to be uncovered that too much speculation would just be silly.
Matt Hornick | Editorial Intern
