Europa Europa

This story is made even more amazing since it is based on fact. The real Solomon Perel has quite a story to tell. I have also read the book, and the movie is a bit factually inaccurate, but it is still tremendously well-made.

Young Solly is played by a beautiful young actor named Marco Hoffschneider. His good looks and charm are part of what get him to convince the Gestapo that he is not a Jew, but an ethnic German. But Solly has much more getting him through this ordeal. His determination and strength of spirit, plus blinding will to live, and perhaps the youthful exuberance of being able to accomplish it, help him to pull off the charade. The young boy speaks several languages, and is able to use this skill to convince Nazi soldiers that he is not Jewish. The soldiers adopt him as a sort of "mascot." Solly is careful not to show his circumcised penis to anyone, including the German girl he falls in love with. Fate is also on his side, since several times when it seemed he might be found out, the hand of a higher power intervenes.

This is an engrossing film, sad and funny. Perhaps Solomon Perel is ashamed that he lived with the enemy to save his life, but, he is alive today to tell his story. The real Solomon Perel makes a brief appearance at the end.

When, this summer, I saw "Saving Private Ryan", I was immediately reminded of this film. Using the same kind of camera angles that got Spielberg praise in "Ryan", we see the hollowness of the war-torn psyche and the brutality that emerges in people during warfare. We see hideous indoctrination that the German youth were subjected to, giving them depth beyond a few simple lines. Most of all, however, we see the absurdity inherent in such a large scale, world-shattering conflict. The film communicates its message with a clarity that makes one almost uneasy. As good as "Ryan" was, this is better.

An interesting and moving film about a teen : Marco Holfschneider attempting to conceal his Jew origin throughout WWII . The real Salomon Perel is a young Jewish who escaped the Holocaust by passing for a Communist at Russian orphanage , where he learns to be a fervert young Stalinist and subsequently a German person at an elite , Nazi-run Academy. Eventually he falls for lovely Jew-hating Julie Delpy but by this point the effort of hiding behind so many masks is starting to take its toll , as occurring disturbing edge to Perel's fortunes . In the tradition of Voltaire's Candide and Jerzy Kosinski's The Painted Bird .

An incredible and brooding true story of Salomon Perel . A sad and provoking flick in which we watch actual events of the 30s and 40s , such as : the Kristalnacht , Jewish Ghettos , distribution of Poland between Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia after covenant between Rosenberg and Molotov , 1939 Poland invasion , 1941 Russia encroachment in Redbeard Operation , camps of death , the murderous SonderKommandos executing the deadly assignments and 1945 Berlín war . A thrilling and twisted movie in which our starring suffers several misfortunes and borderline-absurdist happenings. The tale is at times so absurd that it could have made a grotesque historical burlesque of the Gunter Grass' Tin Drum variety . Such a sharp evocation of the era would have deserved an Oscar , but it wouldn't submit for the Academy Awards . Stars Marco Holfschneider who gives a sympathetic acting as the young suffering lots of distresses , unfortunes and pains , along the way he gets away from Nazi Holocaust by passing for a fervent Nazi at an elitist Academy . And a mostly unknown cast with exception for Hanns Zischler as a German captain and Julie Delpy as a fanatic Nazi girl , all of them give nice interpretations .

It was shot in various languages, in German and Russian with English subtitles . It contains a sensitive and enjoyable musical score by Zbigniew Preisner, including catching leitmotif . As well as atmospheric cinematography , though a perfect remastering being extremely necessary .This thought-provoking and brooding motion picture was compellingly directed by Agnieszka Holland . This prestigious director has made good films , outstanding the following ones : "Copying Beethoven , Julie walking Home , Washington Square, Total Eclipse , The Secret Garden , Olivier Olivier , To Kill a Priest , A Woman on her Own and Sunday Children" . Rating 7/10 . Better than average . Essential and indispensable seeing for WWII aficionados .

"Europa Europa" (original title "Hitler Youth Soloman") is the story of a Jewish boy who is separated from his family and ends up assuming different identities (including, yes, a Nazi) to stay alive. What makes this film different from all the Holocaust movies I've seen is that it shows the perspective of the other side. This is NOT done in a sympathetic way but in a way that simply shows what was going on amongst the brainwashed youth and how ordinary humans were coerced into doing the most inhuman things.

Our protagonist Soloman (Marco Hofschneider) is played with a wide-eyed innocence, almost like an objective observer, as he navigates the Nazi heirarchy inadvertently making friends wherever he goes. Thus the interesting spin is that the Nazis are shown with more personality than the stone-faced butchers we've come to expect from Holocaust flicks. In fact there is very little Jewish persecution and violence shown since most of the story is set behind the ranks where Soloman is fed the same propaganda and brotherhood that the Hitler youth were fed.

The brutality is clear, and as Soloman rises through the ranks he starts to peel away the truth that, no, Jews are not simply being "relocated to Madagascar". In addition he falls for a girl (Julie Delpy) who is a rabid anti-Semite. So the film ends up posing a very interesting point that's applicable to all our lives, regardless of the WW2 context: What do we do if it turns out that our friends & adoptive family turn out to be vile monsters?

I highly recommend this movie even if you're not interested in war flicks. It's more like a coming of age story but set in the most horrifying chapter of human history.

The print that I saw of this film was stunning. Come to think of it, every aspect of this film was well though out, excellently executed, and just as stunning. And just like any other film that deals with the plight of the Jewish people during WWII, this is not a feel good film that will have you wanting to watch it again and again. Very well made and well acted film.