Film

The Conquest

Name: The Conquest
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Released: 2011
Cast: Denis Podalydès, Florence Pernel, Bernard Le Coq, Michèle Moretti, Samuel Labarthe

Drama

A French political comedy-drama tracking Nicolas Sarkozy's ruthless climb to the presidency. It's performed with theatrical precision—all backroom deals, wounded egos, and the petty humiliations that precede triumph. Wry and propulsive, for anyone who enjoyed *In the Loop* or finds European politics darkly funny.

TMDb rating

3.0

If you liked this

In the Loop2009

Armando Iannucci's savagely funny spin on American military bungling and political cowardice. Sharp dialogue, genuine stakes, and characters you despise and enjoy watching flounder.

But Relentlessly cynical about governance, with no heroes and very little warmth—if you want to believe politicians have good intentions, steer clear.

A Prophet2009

French prison drama with a protagonist's methodical rise that mirrors Sarkozy's playbook: survival, manipulation, calculated alliances. Taut and unsettling.

But Sparse and austere; if you need humor or romantic subplot, this offers neither. Grim by design.

The Ides of March2011

George Clooney's directorial take on a young campaign operative navigating cutthroat Democratic primary politics. Same year as *The Conquest*, same DNA—ambition eating itself.

But American setting and a slower burn than you might expect; feels more like a political thriller than comedy.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Conquest

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

The Taste of Things2023

Both are recent French-language films about hierarchies and the seduction of proximity to power—one courtroom, one kitchen. One is funny about it. The other is not.

Trần Anh Hùng's sensual period film about a chef and his muse—French, gorgeously shot, about devotion and the eros of preparation. A palate cleanser that proves French cinema about ambition need not be about politics at all.

But Languid pacing and minimal plot; if you're seeking narrative momentum or conflict, this is meditative and will feel slow.

Thank You for Smoking2005

Aaron Eckhart as a tobacco lobbyist with quicksilver charm and no moral core. Dark comedy about persuasion, spin, and the people who profit from it—tonally close to *The Conquest*.

But The premise—rooting for a morally bankrupt protagonist—wears thin if you're not amused by the conceit itself.

Good Bye, Lenin!2003

German political comedy-drama about a family during the fall of the Berlin Wall. Smart, tender, and observant about ideology and national transformation—European politics with heart.

But Sentimentality creeps in; if you want pure cynicism, this compromises it for genuine emotion.

The Death of Stalin2017

Armando Iannucci again, this time on Soviet succession chaos—farcical, vicious, perfectly observed about power's vacuum and who scrambles to fill it. Black-and-white period comedy.

But British sensibility applied to Russian history; some find it too arch, and subtitles required if watching in Russian.

The Colbys1985

Peter Morgan's three-part HBO series on Churchill, Eisenhower, and Roosevelt. Pedigree cast, intimate portraits of political will and compromise at the highest level.

But Slow and reverential toward power; if you want *The Conquest*'s acerbic bite rather than gravitas, this pivots the other direction.

The Lobster2015

Yorgos Lanthimos's surreal dark comedy about a world with absurd bureaucratic rules. If you're drawn to the deadpan absurdism lurking in *The Conquest*'s premise, this amplifies it.

But Genuinely alienating; the humor is cerebral and perverse, and some will find it exhausting rather than entertaining.

The King's Speech2010

Both are period biopics about a leader's ascent, but this one asks you to *love* the protagonist and believe in his growth. *The Conquest* asks you to enjoy how nakedly he uses everyone. Same skeleton, inverted soul.

Tom Hooper's Oscar-winning drama about George VI overcoming his stammer before WWII. A political film about personal transformation, stuttering through crisis, British reserve—everything *The Conquest* inverts.

But Earnest and inspirational; the exact tonal opposite of mordant French cynicism. If you want a comfort film, not a dinner-party argument.