Letnie przesilenie

The movie opens in a small town of Southeastern Poland in 1943, under German occupation. The German soldiers apparently live in bucolic harmony with the locals and are depicted as rather nice fellows; in their first scene they devoutly thank the Lord for the meal they are about to receive. Some are bumbling, cute incompetents in the mold of the TV Nazis in Hogan's Heroes. There are no Jews around, of course; this is explained away as follows: they were taken care of by the Einsatzgruppen (the SS death squads). This implicitly perpetuates the canard that only the SS death squads, not the Wehrmacht itself were responsible for atrocities against civilians in Poland and other Eastern European countries. This myth was exploded in many sources, among them the documentary The Unknown Soldier (2006) by Michael Verhoeven.

Partisans are depicted as murderous psychopathic interlopers and such nagging questions as summary execution of civilians for partisan actions (or for any other reason) are glossed over or attributed to a single Nazi officer straight out of Hollywood Central Casting, Department Bad Nazis. In one of the first scenes a Pole voices his approval of the murder of Jews. Yes, there were many antisemitic Poles, but there were also many that protected, assisted and in many cases saved fugitive Jews. And, at any rate, Polish Jews were murdered by Germans, not by Poles. Auschwitz was planned, staffed and run by Germans.

There have been German movies where Nazi crimes during WWII are discreetly swept under the rug. At least, there is an element of self-interest here. However, it is disturbing to see this in a Polish movie, since six million Poles died in a war that began with the totally unprovoked invasion of Poland by Germany. Its even more disturbing (but a lot more understandable) if one takes into account that this is a Polish - German coproduction.

I give the movie 8 stars. Withholding 2 stars only for failure to "entertain" in the way spoiled brats like myself have come to expect being amused but everything being shown on the silver screen.

I just watched the film and feel that I have to react to the review by hof-4, who, unfortunately, got just about everything wrong and perceived it as anti-Polish and pro German revisionism written and directed by a Pole (a bizarre thought to start with, right?). Here a few corrections:

1. "The German soldiers apparently live in bucolic harmony with the locals and are depicted as rather nice fellows; in their first scene they devoutly thank the Lord for the meal they are about to receive. Some are bumbling, cute incompetents in the mold of the TV Nazis in Hogan's Heroes."

We do not see many people in the film. Of the Polish locals, one is killed by what you called "a nice fellow". They also kill two people they find in the woods. Probably that is jews though. So I will get back to that later. As for the German soldiers, we get to know three of them a little more. The ruthless Oberleutnant, who personally kills two people (the supposed jews) and has people murdering three more, including burning a woman with a baby. Then we have Odi. Who does not seem like a killing machine but wants to do his job in order to not get into trouble. And to be able to see his wife and kid again. Then we have Guido, who is the only one not functioning. Who at too young age is at the front because he was caught listening to Jazz at home. The "bumbling cute incompent". Do you serioulsy think that no one like that can have existed? The no German soldiers had any doubts about atrocities? To depict that would have been wildy inacurate stereoptypes. Many were traumatised by these things as well. Anyway, back to the film. All the others (like the Feldwebel), we just know that they do what they have to do. The former Oberleutnant apparently was a drunk (it is mentioned) who did not made the whole thing seem a bit like a holiday. Nevertheless, we do get to know that these soldiers did kill jews on patrol even then. So what did you want to see? None of the Germans you see are depicted as innocent. They kill people. And if you think that all German soldiers were just fanatic killing machines you are wrong. Many also were like Odi - they did as they were told, even when it came to killing Jews and civilians. Which does not make them innocent. That is how war works. And no, the film does not indicate that all but one are nice blokes. You have three types: The fanatic, the one following orders and the one not wanting to follow orders but still doing it (Guido kills three people). About the rest of the German soldiers it's all speculation. We know they killed Jews before. Not much more. The Feldwebel screams at Guido and Odi. But we do not know him either.

2. "This implicitly perpetuates the canard that only the SS death squads, not the Wehrmacht itself were responsible for atrocities against civilians in Poland and other Eastern European countries."

Nonsense. We see six jews in the film. Five of them are killed. Two are shot, a mother with a baby is burned alive. So much about "nice people". Another one dies by the river (he had jumped off the death train). Only the sixth one is lucky. We also get to know that one Polish man wanted to help two jews but he was too late - they were shot by these nice German soldiers patrolling. Also, the death camp is close. Trains must have arrived recently. Clothes can still be found. And we get to see four jews (or two, in case the two shot in the woods were Polish civilians) who were on the run.

3. "Partisans are depicted as murderous psychopathic interlopers."

Where did see you these? The girl Bunia is a jew, not a partisan. Neither is she a psychopath. She lost her family. But I guess you mean the Soviets in the end. No partisans. You got something wrong here.

4. "...and such nagging questions as summary execution of civilians for partisan actions (or for any other reason) are glossed over or attributed to a single Nazi officer straight out of Hollywood Central Casting, Department Bad Nazis."

It's a 90 mins film. It won't tell whole story of WWII in Poland. About partisans there is nothing. We only see a very limited amount of people in the film, which tells the story of mainly three people. Polish civilians we see about 10. Of them, it is one being shot. Or three, if the two in the woods are Polish who just happened to be at the wrong place. Romek is lucky he makes it.

5. "In one of the first scenes a Pole voices his approval of the murder of Jews. Yes, there were many antisemitic Poles, but there were also many that protected, assisted and in many cases saved fugitive Jews. And, at any rate, Polish Jews were murdered by Germans, not by Poles. Auschwitz was planned, staffed and run by Germans."

Then you should also remember that in the beginning Leon mentions Poles hiding Jews. Plus, Romek helps Bunia. Plus Karpiuk helps hiding Bunia. And we get to know that he tried to help others before. And you reduce the message of the film to one Pole voicing his approval of the murder of Jews? You have to be kidding me. About the film making clear who killed Jews, go back to point 2.

What I find disturbing is that you did not understand the film. Many things you missed, other things you got wrong.

I suggest you watch it again. Perhaps then you can understand how a Polish writer and director could make such a film. A film that is not revisionist at all.

The movie is set in a beautiful atmosphere of the summer, the atmosphere conducive to lightness and romantic feelings, especially for late teens, even if it is war time.

Though director/writer supposedly tries to take a different, polish look at what is happening, a lot of things are really strange, coming out of nowhere, maybe its magic of the summer night: why are people almost randomly shot (either by Russians or by Germans, even Nazis seemed to exercise some restraint)? why are good proper girls having sex on the first encounter? why is there a Jewish girl from Warszaw there? (when apparently the Jewish issue was long solved), why is she demanding something? why are there Russian partisans in polish forest (especially, if its western part of Poland)? etc. etc. etc. This might had been a nice movie about German/Polish youth coming together over their love for forbidden American music and polish life at that time, but with all the other random war things thrown in, what is left? A piece that seems to be more exploitative than revealing, with familiar topics of "Russian rape" and holocaust thrown in too casually and looking too painfully wrong in this movie.