| Overview: | A pivotal moment in contemporary European cinema that confirmed the arrival of a major new talent in Polish-born director Agnieszka Holland, "Europa, Europa" is a passionate, thrilling, and heartfelt film about the tragic experience of Jews during the second World War and a dizzying mediation on the paradoxes of role-playing.
The film's telling ironies and tragic absurdities are all the more unsettling for being based on the real-life exploits of Solomon Perel, a young German Jew who cultivates a chameleonic ability to assume identities in order to avert the fate of his fellow Jews. First posing as a fervent young Stalinist, Perel--who harbored aspirations to be Clark Gable--then becomes an accepted and respected member of the Nazi Youth, burying his true background in a desperate bid for survival.
Directed with deft intelligence by former Zanussi collaborator Holland, "Europa, Europa" boasts an astounding performance from Marco Hofschneider in the central role--the film also helped introduce Julie Delpy ("Before Sunrise") to a worldwide audience--and a highly sensual score by former Kieslowski associate Zbigniew Preisner. Nominated for an Academy Award and the winner of a Golden Globe, it's an audacious and utterly unforgettable viewing experience.
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