Simone is like twerking, it finds its rhythm in the end.

Let me preface this review by saying that Simone Veil is one of my all-time heroes. This French politician who fought for the rights of the disenfranchised throughout her political career was responsible for legalizing abortion in France (in 1975, with a law that bears her name), reformed prisons for men and women, also defended those with AIDS as the Surgeon General ("The response to AIDS will be humanist or it will be nothing at all") and all of this after surviving Auschwitz at 16 years old.

So, any criticism I may have is of the film exclusively and in no way impinges on my admiration for one of the most incredible people of the 20th century.

Unsurprisingly, my main critique of the movie is its tone. Simone Veil: The Journey of a Century is historic melodramatization, a comicalization, in fact, because it's like a novelization based on a comic of her life.

As I said, she
• Survived Auschwitz
• Reformed prisons
• Legalized abortion
• Was first President of the European Parliament
• Combatted Aids

So, her life was dramatic enough without histrionics and blaring music telling us what to feel.

Some other complaints I have are, all the exposition is done through dialog ("Simone, you're a student at a prestigious school who survived the Holocaust and are pregnant with your second child, why would you want to become a politician who legalizes abortion?"), the butchered timeline is distracting and the director's need to have Ms Veil break down in tears every other scene comes across as a cruel joke.

Finally, however, the film finds its rhythm in the third act (especially when recounting her time in the concentration camp). The movie becomes more solemn and lets the events of her life dictate the mood rather than telling us how to feel.

At least there is a lot of biographical information about this amazing woman and it invites the viewer to learn more about her and her struggles. Still, it would've been nice if the film was the biopic she deserved, however difficult that may sound.