John's Movie Musings

Die Fälscher won the Oscar this year for best foreign language film. In English, the title is The Counterfeiters. I don't know why they changed it because Die Fälscher is much cooler to say, especially if you do your best Schwarzenegger impression. Try it. You agree with me now, don't ya?

As you may have guessed, the movie comes out of Austria and is about a Jewish counterfeiter in Nazi Germany. As far as Holocaust movies go, it's nice to have a story that's unique. I haven't checked, but it seemed like a true story, so that makes it all the more interesting.

Another fascinating aspect is that the main character, the Jewish counterfeiter, is a jerk. In most other WW2 movies, the Jews are portrayed as gentle victims. The guy is a victim here as well, but when the Nazis comes busting down his door, we're not exactly talking about Anne Frank, if you know what I mean.

But, of course, this sets you up for a great character journey. Since this isn't a Hollywood movie, you don't get a Hollywood ending. Instead, you get a real, natural, human ending. By the credits, I had an emotional connection with the guy and I got to wondering what I would do if I were put in his shoes. Few movies do that and it's nice to come across those that do.

This is obviously a serious drama, so make sure you're in the mood for it. And for a bit of reading, unless you speak German. But definitely catch this one in the near future.

Grade: A