Irène Némirovsky’s novel Suite française is an emblematic case study in the evolving dynamics of creation and reception, and the way in which processes of circulation are shaped and complicated by temporal factors, changing contexts, and shifting cultural and political horizons. In this paper, I concentrate on the 2015 film adaptation, Suite Française, directed by Saul Dibb. Drawing on concepts from narrative theory and cultural memory studies, I analyze the film’s switch from the novel’s polyphonic arrangement to a monologic first-person narrative voice that invites viewers to empathize and identify with its protagonist. I argue that the film Suite Française replaces the novel’s complex and ethically nuanced perspective with a repetitive post-Holocaust story that is unable to challenge the viewers’ biases and assumptions and is therefore incapable of creating a space for reparative reading.