Review of Europa Europa (1990) by Jim H — 05 Aug 2012

A Jew avoids the Holocaust by pretending to be a German translator and subsequently joins the Hitler Youth.

I'll give this film credit for an inherently dramatic and compelling idea - a Jew who is forced to hide his identity among people who seek his destruction. But what holds this film back is the performance by Marco Hofschneider. There is only one scene in which I believed the film's plot produced an internal conflict for the protagonist - when the teacher was evaluating his "racial purity." Every other scene was played off so blithely that I wondered if the actor understood the story. In fact, there were several scenes that I wondered whether or not the dramatic situation was being played for comedic effect. And in order to get to the story, there are several quirks of fate, like the protagonist leading German troops to the Russian hideout, that defy verisimilitude.

Overall, this is a great idea for a film, but the result is somewhat less than its parts.