France, 1940s. During the Occupation, the Nazi regime and French nationalist circles joined forces and collaborated, driven by the vision of a fascist Europe under German domination.
Two figures stand out among the kingpins of this state collaboration: Otto Abetz and Fernand de Brinon. The former, ambassador of the Third Reich in Paris, was tasked with promoting the interests of Nazi Germany in France. The second, ambassador of the Vichy regime, collaborated with the German occupying forces. Thirsty for power, but also idealistic and blinded to the end, the two men evolved at the heart of a sumptuous diplomatic world, frequented by the Franco-German political, military and cultural elite. At the same time, far from the salons and ballrooms, there is the terrible reality in which these Nazi diplomats are involved: the economic exploitation of France, the fight against the resistance, the persecution and deportation of French Jews, the war of extermination in the East...
Using archive footage and the personal writings of Josée de Chambrun, daughter of Vichy Prime Minister Pierre Laval and close confidante of the two diplomats, this documentary shows how, in the darkest hours of history, extremes meet - luxury and terror, seduction and violence, power and moral decadence - and how quickly democratic values can be shaken.
Direction: Pierre-Olivier François
Production: Blueprint Film & APC for ARTE & Histoire TV