A must-see for anyone interested in European politics, history, or Europe in general, The Last Mitterrand fictionalizes the last months of the ex-president of France, François Mitterrand, to create a portrait of a man, a country, and a culture, and the politics, histories, and memories that define them all. Director Robert Guédiguian (acclaimed for his series of Marseilles-set fictions, including The Town Is Quiet, SFIFF 2001) restages Mitterrand's final moments in power as a dialogue between the president and his young biographer Antoine Moreau (based on Mitterrand's real-life biographer Georges-Marc Benamou, who wrote the screenplay). Idealistic and committed, Moreau confronts Mitterrand on his beliefs and politics, especially regarding his WWII-era past as a possible Vichy collaborator. Mitterrand remains unbowed; no shrinking violet, he calls himself “the last great French president,” and swears that due to increasing globalization and corporatization all who come after him will be more accountants than politicians. Through their conversations, Guédiguian confronts the entire history of France, the hopes and compromises of socialism (and of the European Left in general), and how politics and power influence-and are influenced by-individuals. Actor Michel Bouquet makes a striking Mitterrand; his presence is so riveting and his impersonation so convincing that even Mitterrand's foreign minister and lifelong friend Roland Dumas praised his performance.