Shadows on the Wall

Treasure

dir Julia von Heinz
scr Julia von Heinz, John Quester
prd Fabian Gasmia, Lena Dunham, Julia von Heinz
with Lena Dunham, Stephen Fry, Zbigniew Zamachowski, Tomasz Wlosok, Wenanty Nosul, Iwona Bielska, Maria Mamona, David Krzysteczko, Oliver Ewy, Andre Hennicke, Robert Besta
release US/UK 14.Jun.24,
Ger 26.Sep.24
24/Germany 1h52

BERLIN FILM FEST

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Warm comedy offers badly needed fresh air in this darkly emotive drama set in Poland. It's inspired by the true story of a Holocaust survivor who returns after half a century but resists revisiting his memories. Beautifully acted, the story plays out with honesty, offering insight into generational relationships and the importance of remembering history. It's also vividly directed by German filmmaker Julia von Heinz with strong period touches.

In 1991 Warsaw, New York journalist Ruth (Dunham) hopes to learn about her parents' life before they emigrated to America. Her mother has recently died, and her father Edek (Fry) insists on accompanying her. But he is also trying to derail her mission, as he wants to avoid dredging up his past. Seeing through this, she persists in visiting the family home in Lodz and pushing on to tour Auschwitz, where Edek's entire family was murdered. And as he begins to rediscover who he used to be, Edek makes a new connection with his daughter.

Yes, the general idea here is fairly simplistic, but it's also thoroughly humane, resisting a sentimental approach as this damaged father and daughter circle around each other. The gregarious Edek makes friends everywhere he goes, from the taxi driver (Zamachowski) who conveys them on this journey to a couple of women (Bielska and Mamona) who become his ardent fans. And even though she's more withdrawn, Ruth also reaches out to people along the way, including a young bellhop (Wlosok) who she hires as an interpreter when Edek abdicates.

Neither Ruth nor Edek are easy to like. Dunham plays Ruth with a very grim edge, a self-harmer struggling to emerge after a sad divorce, and far too immersed in Holocaust history to be able to see the present-day world around her. Meanwhile, Edek is a sparky mischief-maker who thwarts her efforts to find evidence of his past. Both of them soften along the way, allowing the audience to develop some sympathy for them, regardless of how their relationship evolves.

Not that we're ever worried. There's a soft undercurrent that continually lets us know that things are going to be fine. In the meantime, the pain feels sometimes startlingly real, beautifully underplayed by Dunham and Fry to stir up intense feelings without tipping over the top. Of course, it's impossible to visit Auschwitz without being deeply moved, and seeing it through the eyes of a survivor feels almost overwhelming. And also vitally important.

themes, language 10.May.24

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