Rating: 
Summary: The Myth of Race
Review:
This is a great movie that accomplishes much more than providing the viewer with a great story. It is a great chronicle of WW2 seen from different sides, and it disposes of the myth of racial superiority.
This is the story of Solomon Perel, a German Jew boy who survives WW2 by switching sides as his home is overwhelmed by one side or the other. First he is in Germany, and then sent to Poland. On September 1st, 1939 Poland is invaded by Germany. On September 17th, it's invaded by the CCCP. Perel is trapped under the CCCP side, where, as a boy, he quickly becomes a member of the KOMSOMOL. This is the communist version of Hitler Youth, and though most people don't realize this or never heard of the KOMSOMOL, the two rganizations are IDENTICAL, each having freaky god-leader fixations on Hitler or Stalin, and being made to indoctrinate young people.
He does well as a Komsomol and learns Russian. Soon, however, in June, 1941, Germany invades Soviet-controlled Poland on its way to invade Russia. Again Perel has to switch sides, sells himself as an orphaned German gentile, and at the tender age of 13 he hooks up with a German infantry unit as a translator. He survives the torments of the Eastern Front and is adopted by a Wermacht officer who sends him back to the Fatherland to attend a Nazi Youth academy.
Here in the academy, the myth of racial superiority is debunked in a great scene when a nazi doctor in a nazi youth school measures the cranial and facial dimensions of the lead character, Solomon Perel, a German ethnic Jew. The doctor declare's Perel's face and head match those of a perfect specimen of the aryan race, and if he had blonde hair and blue eyes he would be that perfect specimen. Perel is also very competitive and often outdoes his aryan friends in both academics and physical competition.
This film effectively describes the insanity that swept over Europe in the 40s. It's engaging and earnest, and if it wasn't for the deus ex machina at the end that didn't happen in real life, I would give it five stars. I highly recommend this to anyone who is looking for a good movie. If only it were on DVD!
-- JJ Timmins
Rating: 
Summary: When two tribes go to war...
Review: A simply breathtaking film about the best and worst that humanity has to offer. While the cast, production and direction cannot be faulted, it is the intelligent way in which the Nazis are depicted that gives Europa Europa its power.
Like Swing Kids, Lucie Aubrac and Schindler's List, Europa Europa avoids the "white hats" and "black hats" approach to the characterizations. Yep, a lot of the Hitler Youth were decent kids, however misguided, and yes, some of the German military were just honest soldiers doing a job. It is this humanizing of the German and Russian sides that really draws you into this remarkable young man's (true) story. It is staggering to think that he could evade exposure for so long, given that the Germans, like the British, never circumcized male babies except for medical reasons. Apart from all of the chaos and imminent physical danger, this "will he won't he be discovered" adds an almost unbearable level of tension to what is already a gripping movie. The nonsensical racial purity classes underscore the ideas put forward by Dr. Angela Davis that race and even gender are more of a social construct than a question of biological essence. An astounding tribute to the courage and resourcefulness of a true survivor in a world gone mad.
Rating:
Summary: CHANCE AND COINCIDENCE
Review: A stunning story of chance and mishap and happy accidents. A tale of survival against all odds and making the best of adversity. And sometimes surviving completely because of luck and being in the right place at the right time. The main character here, a young German Jewish man, is forced to flee his home with his family from Germany to Poland. Then his parents force his brother and him to flee on their own. The boy is the only one to escape. Strangely he works with the German Army at one point because they find him and a group of Jewish people and are going to kill them. He manages to convince them he is German, and through a strange set of events, they believe him and take him under their wing and decide that he will be useful to them. Although his secret is discovered by one of the German officers (who is trying to molest him), he is not given up. Later when the Germans are fighting the Russians, the boy ends up in Russians' hands, and luckily, he speaks perfect Russian, so they accept him. He is sent to a Russian school and stays there for some time. Somehow he ends up back in the Germans' hands, which is all the more dangerous. A German officer takes a liking to him and sends him back to his home to attend a German (Nazi) school. He fits in relatively well, but he must endure the classes in which Jews are compared to rats. He is a highly competitive student and falls in love with a beautiful girl named Leni (played by Julie Delpy). In their relationship Leni is physically aggressive and wants to consummate their relationship in order to produce a child for Hitler's revolution. The boy cannot comply or he will be exposed. She angrily dumps him and takes up with his best friend, but the boy does visit Leni's mother who has by this time guessed his secret and also is a sympathetic ear. Eventually the war ends, and the boy is still working with the Germans and now he is going to be arrested with the other Germans (by Allied soldiers), but just when he is going to be taken away, a long line of Holocaust survivors wanders by and the boy spots his older brother, and he is proven to be Jewish. If I am not mistaken this is a true story... painful at times to watch, but overall an example of triumph of the human spirit.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: Best movie I've seen in 5 Years................ And true too.
Rating:
Summary: An incredible true story.
Review: Considering the bleak history that surounds this time period, this is an enjoyable film. What makes it so amazing is the fact that it is a true story!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Film out of the ashes of Tragedy
Review: Europa Europa is a fun movie about a tragic time in history. The director, Agnieszka Holland, takes great license in making this film. Naturally, though based on a remarkable story, it is hyperbolized to great degree. Don't let this prohibit you from watching this film. Being essentially a war movie made by a female director it garners a wide audience through its use of humor, emotion and a little bit of surrealism.
Although the film plays like an anime movie in which the most bizarre and coincidental events happen, it only helps to portray the way the adolescent Solomon sees the world. This makes the movie all the more fun. The mixed emotions and panics and ecstasies that Solomon, the protagonist, feels play in tune with the deception which he uses to survive. I, though far from adolescence, can still remember the drama in the most mundane actives. While I don't want to say that Solomon is a "Drama Queen", even he as a character seems to exaggerate his plight at times.
When I first saw this movie I was as old as Solomon is supposed to be and I think this could be why I enjoy it so much. Overall the film is beautifully shot and while it is less than historical it is fun and interesting to watch. I think in these days when the WWII an the holocaust do not receive enough attention in schools this film is a great medium for introducing to teens (and adults for that matter) the turmoil of central europe during the middle of the last century. It is endearing and a humanizing portrayal of WWII Europe that can help to open up discussion of the tragedies of our past.
-- Ted Murena
Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing story based on true events?
Review: Europa Europa is set in the year before and during the World War II in Europe. The story is based on the true events of the young boy, Salomon "Solly" Perel (Marco Hofschneider), son of a shopkeeper in Poland who experienced brutality through the eye of the enemy as he had to disguise himself in order to survive as his heritage was Jewish. Initially Solly escapes the German's wearing a Nazi leather coat with the Swastika on the arm, which becomes his first disguise or act in order to survive. This continues throughout the film where Solly must hide his true identity, which deals with his circumcision, culture, and background. The constant acting by Solly leads him to begin to feel unsure about his true identity as he tries to assimilate into Nazi-German culture and reject himself. At one point Solly's feelings towards his Jewish background are close to hatred as he also struggles with the natural dilemmas of a teenager such as identity and love. Europa Europa is a dark coming of age film depicting the terrible destiny of Solly as he grows up as a pro-Nazi in order to survive and have self-discovery while hiding himself from himself. When the audience stretches their legs during the end credits there will be much room for pondering and contemplation as Europa Europa leaves the viewers with an excellent cinematic experience.
Rating:
Summary: Mesmerizing story based on true events¿
Review: Europa Europa is set in the year before and during the World War II in Europe. The story is based on the true events of the young boy, Salomon "Solly" Perel (Marco Hofschneider), son of a shopkeeper in Poland who experienced brutality through the eye of the enemy as he had to disguise himself in order to survive as his heritage was Jewish. Initially Solly escapes the German's wearing a Nazi leather coat with the Swastika on the arm, which becomes his first disguise or act in order to survive. This continues throughout the film where Solly must hide his true identity, which deals with his circumcision, culture, and background. The constant acting by Solly leads him to begin to feel unsure about his true identity as he tries to assimilate into Nazi-German culture and reject himself. At one point Solly's feelings towards his Jewish background are close to hatred as he also struggles with the natural dilemmas of a teenager such as identity and love. Europa Europa is a dark coming of age film depicting the terrible destiny of Solly as he grows up as a pro-Nazi in order to survive and have self-discovery while hiding himself from himself. When the audience stretches their legs during the end credits there will be much room for pondering and contemplation as Europa Europa leaves the viewers with an excellent cinematic experience.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent film and haunting theme
Review: Frankly, I'm quite tired of "Oh how terribly persecuted the Jews were under Nazi Germany" films. However, I think that is because there was a flood of terribly mediocre films that were wildly popular because of the caustic nature of the subject matter. A few of such films have been amazingly deep and leaps and bounds above the hollow sentimentality of the others: Shindler's List, Aurevior Les Enfants, and Europa Europa are the three top that come to mind. Shindler's List deals with a broader subject matter and the benevolent nature of a German businessman and gentile: Shindler. Au revoir Les Enfants and Europa Europa deal with a much more personal story from the Jewish perspective. They are about the children caught in the prejudice and the hatred. Au revoir is from the childhood angle (in this French film) where Europa Europa (a German, Russian, and Polish film) deals with the subject matter from an adolescent/teenager's standpoint. Our lead character is a charming young Jewish boy, Solly (a boy new to acting - Marco Hofschneider), who upon Nazi occupation of Poland assumes the identity of a gentile to stay alive. In doing so, Solly - in some of the most physically painful moments of the film - attempts to disguise his circumcized penis be pulling skin forward on it and tying in place with string. This is necessary as Solly joins up with Russian soldiers, joins the Nazi youth as an exemplary example of the Aryan race, and then again hooks up with the Russians. Passing as a Nazi, Solly is privy to all the hatred and anger the Nazis had toward the Jews. He must also assume that stance to exist. I don't want to give away the film to tell more, except that according to my father who fought in WWII, such action actually did occur more often than one might think. This is the true story of Solomon Perel who, at last telling, was still alive in Israel. Get the film in German, Russian, and Polish with subtitles. It would be far more truthful than any dubbed version. You'll not soon forget this film. Really top notch!
Rating:
Summary: Great film!
Review: Great film! The best I have ever seen!
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