1943. During the German occupation, the gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt is at the top of his form. Every evening he makes Paris swing at the Folies Bergères while his people are hunted down and massacred throughout Europe. When the German propaganda machine wants to send him to Berlin for a series of concerts, he senses danger and decides to escape to Switzerland with one of his admirers, Louise de Klerk. He goes to Thonon-les-Bains on Lake Geneva with his pregnant wife Naguine and his mother Negros. But escaping is more complicated than expected and Django and his relatives find themselves immersed in the war. During this dramatic period, he remains an exceptional musician who resists with his music and his humor, even as he continues to seek musical perfection...

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Debut by screenwriter Etienne Comar, about a little-known episode in the life of a legendary artist: Django Reinhardt, the French guitarist who invented what was eventually known as jazz manouche. The movie is made with care, respect and obvious admiration for the life of the musician. Unfortunately, it’s also preachy and conventional. Well supported by Cécile de France, Reda Kateb carries Django with conviction. But as mirrored by the movie itself, he sometimes seems too rigid, almost instructional, in his performance. This results in a lack of passion onscreen, tainting the movie’s emotion and ambitions.