What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Farewell, My Queen is a French-language historical drama (subtitled in English) about the events in the days leading up to the storming of the Bastille in 1789 -- notably Marie Antoinette's personal relationships with her ladies-in-waiting and special friend. Expect to feel a bit like a voyeur allowed behind the curtains to see a queen undone by the rapid shift in politics and dwelling on the imminent loss of an illicit relationship. There's some nudity (two women are shown naked, one while sleeping), relationships between both opposite- and same-sex couples, a bit of swearing, and deep chasms between social classes.
- Families can talk about Marie Antoinette: Does she seem as flip and wasteful as some historians have made her out to be? Teens: What did you know about her before seeing Farewell, My Queen?
- What keeps Sidonie loyal, given how the queen doesn't exactly feel the same toward her? For that matter, what drives the royal-and-royal-subject dynamic?
- Discuss the affair at the heart of the film. Is it true? Do historians really know? How could you find out more?