Review of Europa Europa (1990) by Shmuel O — 15 May 2009

The true story of Solomon Perel, who as a Jewish teenager survives World War 2 by fleeing the Nazi advance and joining the Comsomol in the Soviet Union, then switching sides when the Nazis advance to join the Wehrmacht, then being a student in an elite Hitler Youth college, all the while keeping his foreskin (or rather the absence thereof), under wraps so to speak is a triumph of the survival instincts of the human race.

Needless to say Perel spent a lot of time after the war in therapy to resolve his highly conflicted identity issues. And he is probably the only Jew to attend a Wehrmacht reunion for World War 2 soldiers.

While the bones of the plot are laid out here, the performance by Marco Hofschneider in the lead role makes this a great film to see.