During World War II, Wehrmacht Captain Stefan Brandt is assigned to take command of the personal bodyguard of deposed German Emperor Wilhelm II at his Huis Doorn estate near Utrecht, Netherlands. Nazi authorities are concerned that Allied spies may be planning to assassinate the former Kaiser. Despite the Kaiser's adjutant, Colonel Sigurd von Ilsemann, giving Brandt strict orders not to interfere with the female servants, Brandt is immediately drawn into a passionate affair with Mieke de Jong, one of the maids. Mieke soon reveals to Brandt that she is secretly Jewish. Gestapo Inspector Dietrich informs Brandt that the British Secret Service has an agent with a radio somewhere in a nearby village, asking Brandt to watch for a second agent inside the Kaiser's household. Prior to a visit from SS CommanderHeinrich Himmler, Brandt notices a smell of gun oil from Mieke's room. He follows Mieke when she visits the village pastor andwatching outside a windowhears her tell the pastor that she is prepared to assassinate Himmler as revenge for the SS murdering her father and husband. The pastor responds that assassinating Himmler is not their mission. The SS pinpoints the pastor’s radio transmissions. They arrest and torture him, demanding the name of the other spy. Shortly afterward, Wilhelm's wife Hermine, jealous of Wilhelm's fondness for Mieke, tells him of Brandt and Mieke's affair. She expects her husband to dismiss Mieke and have Brandt court-martialed, but he responds that even though he no longer rules Germany, he will rule his own house. In private, he reveals to the lovers that he fathered illegitimate children before and after marrying his first wife, his Empress. He orders the lovers to go about their duties, but to be more discreet. During a planned house search before Himmler's arrival, Brandt himself searches Mieke's room to protect her ruse. After Himmler's arrival, when Brandt learns that the pastor has revealed Mieke's identity, he urges her to flee. She refuses, insisting that she has a mission. Himmler extends to Wilhelm an invitation from Adolf Hitler to return to his former throne in Berlin. He then meets with Brandt and Dietrich, informing them that the invitation is a bluff, intended to draw out and execute anti-Nazi monarchists. Hermina is overjoyed at the thought of finally becoming Empress of Germany but Wilhelm, troubled by Himmler's boasts about the euthanasia of disabled children, remains unsureeven when Colonel von Ilsemann speaks to him of how Wilhelm can become "a restraining influence." When Brandt asks von Ilsemann whether an officer can serve something other than his country, the Colonel replies, "First you must decide what is your country and if it even still exists." Brandt pauses, then tells von Ilsemann of Himmler's plans for the Kaiser's supporters. Mieke completes her mission by delivering to Wilhelm a message from Winston Churchill, offering the Kaiser political asylum in Great Britain and the throne of a defeated Germany after the war. Wilhelm refuses, having decided that he is finally at peace with the loss of his throne. As the Gestapo closes in on Mieke, Brandt devises an escape plan. Wilhelm, Mieke, and Brandt escape in a van as the Kaiser pretends to have a heart attack. In the process, Brandt kills Dietrich and another SS officer. Mieke asks Brandt to flee with her, fearing he will be executed for the murders. Brandt insists that he has a duty to Germany and has a good alibi. As Mieke departs, Brandt asks Mieke to marry him. She tells Brandt yes and to find her after the war, then she flees into the woods. Some time later, Brandt is working at a desk in Berlin. He is delivered a package, which contains a book of Friedrich Nietzsche's writings that Mieke had once shown him. Inside is written a London address. In London, Mieke is seated on a park bench when she is informed that Churchill is ready to see her. Rising, Mieke puts her hand on her belly, revealing that she is pregnant. In Utrecht, von Ilsemann informs Wilhelm that Brandt has called from Berlin with wonderful news. Realizing this means Mieke has escaped to Britain, Wilhelm is overjoyed.
Cast
Production
Pre-production
Christopher Plummer's longtime manager and one of the film's lead producers, Lou Pitt, was recommended Alan Judd's novel The Kaiser's Last Kiss. Pitt said, "The first time I heard about the novel was from Chris who liked the character and setting quite a lot as did I after reading it... this would have been around 2005 or 2006. At the time, the book was under option, but for good reason, we kept an eye on it.” On 21 May 2014, Egoli Tossell Film and its parent company Film House Germany revealed that a film adaptation of Judd's novel was in development. At the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, Lotus Entertainment handled international sales for the film, previously titled The Kaiser's Last Kiss.
Casting
On 12 May 2015, it was announced that Lily James would play the character Mieke de Jong. On 7 July 2015, Jai Courtney was cast in the leading role as Captain Stefan Brandt. On 11 September 2015, Janet McTeer and Eddie Marsan joined the cast of The Kaiser's Last Kiss as Princess Hermine Reuss of Greiz and Heinrich Himmler, respectively.
Filming
On 11 September 2015, it was confirmed that principal photography was underway in Belgium, The film was shot in 33 days over six weeks in various locations in Belgium in 2015. The scenes were filmed inside Leeuwergem Castle, Flanders.
Release
In October 2016, A24 and DirecTV Cinema acquired U.S distribution rights to the film. The film was released on 2 June 2017. The film was the closing-night selection of the 2017 Newport Beach Film Festival, where Lily James' performance was referred to as "a true breakout" by Festival co-founder and chief executive officer Gregg Schwenk. It was released on DVD and Blu-ray in the U.S. by Lionsgate on 8 August 2017.
Critical response
Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 74% based on 57 reviews, with an average rating of 6.18/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "The Exception elegantly blends well-dressed period romance and war drama into a solidly crafted story further elevated by Christopher Plummer's excellent work and the efforts of a talented supporting cast." Metacritic gives the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on reviews from 15 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".
