The movie
The Forger
A blonde-haired Jew hid in plain sight in Berlin during WWII while forging hundreds of documents to aid his fellow Jews.
Length: 116 min
Country: Germany, Luxembourg
Language spoken: German
Language subtitles: English
Cast: Louis Hofmann, Jonathan Berlin, Luna Wedler, Nina Gummich, André Jung
Director: Maggie Peren
Release date: 2022
Description
Based on Cioma Schönhaus’ 2004 memoir about how he, a blonde-haired Jew, hid in plain sight in Berlin during WWII while forging hundreds of documents to aid his fellow Jews, Maggie Peren’s beautifully mounted drama features a star-making performance from Louis Hofman (Netflix’s Dark) in the lead role. As the 21-year-old Schönhaus, he is a confident and reckless genius whose talents help him survive by the skin of his teeth. A riveting tale, the film also features superb cinematography and production design. (The real Schönhaus escaped on a bicycle to Switzerland and lived there until his death in 2015.)
“Peren’s loose adaptation is more interested in the cocky, bravado spirit of Schonhaus’ account than its finer narrative details. Instead, it sets out to do something not much seen in Holocaust survivor movies: to celebrate the exuberant life force of a resourceful chameleon who refuses to play the victim.”—Lee Marshall, Screen
“Peren’s loose adaptation is more interested in the cocky, bravado spirit of Schonhaus’ account than its finer narrative details. Instead, it sets out to do something not much seen in Holocaust survivor movies: to celebrate the exuberant life force of a resourceful chameleon who refuses to play the victim.”—Lee Marshall, Screen
