"The Last Mentsch" (2014 release from Germany; 89 min.) brings the story of Marcus Schwarz. As the movie opens, we get to know the old guy as he walks around with the skyline of Cologne, Germany in the background.. He attends the funeral of a card-playing buddy of his, and Schwarz realizes he needs to prepare for his own passing as well. Schwarz approaches a Jewish cemetery but is denied the opportunity to buy a burial place as he cannot prove that he is Jewish, even after showing his Auschwitz prisoner number tattooed on his left arm. Schwarz (original family name: Teitelbaum) is determined to find the necessary proof, and decides to visit his original hometown in Hungary to hopefully dig up his birth certificate. He enlists the help of a young woman to be his driver ("I don't take the train anymore", Schwarz chillingly observes). At this point we are 15 min. into the movie, but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this movie is all about (re)discovering a Jewish identity. Unclear is why after surviving Auschwitz, this character went to such extreme lengths to hide his Jewish background (other than simply being scared, I suppose). Also unclear is how exactly Schwarz is connected to the young woman who decides to drive him to Hungary (a friend of a friend, I believe). Also unclear to me is whether the refusal of the synagogue officials to accept the old man's Jewish identity reflect reality, I mean it blows the mind (comments Schwarz after yet another refusal: "really? It took the Germans 30 seconds to establish my Jewish identity", wow). After the initial 10-15 min., the film mostly plays out as a road movie where the journey is as important, if not more so, than the destiny. Much of the movie's success depends on the interplay between the old man and the young woman, and at that it mostly succeeds. The old man is play by legendary German actor Mario Adorf (1979's "The Tin Drum", 1981's "Lola"), who was a crisp 83 or so when this movie was made). The young woman is played by up-and-coming German actress Katharina Derr.
I recently saw this movie in the theater as part of the 2017 Israeli & Jewish Film Festival here in Cincinnati, a 3 week long celebration of the best movies out of Israel and Jewish-themed movies in general. "The Last Mentsch" is actually a few years old, no idea why it has taken so long to get it here, but better late than never I suppose. If you are in the mood for a reflective film-cum road movie about the significance of the Jewish identity, you cannot go wrong with "The Last Mentsch".
Couple of comments: this movie is all about (re)discovering a Jewish identity. Unclear is why after surviving Auschwitz, this character went to such extreme lengths to hide his Jewish background (other than simply being scared, I suppose). Also unclear is how exactly Schwarz is connected to the young woman who decides to drive him to Hungary (a friend of a friend, I believe). Also unclear to me is whether the refusal of the synagogue officials to accept the old man's Jewish identity reflect reality, I mean it blows the mind (comments Schwarz after yet another refusal: "really? It took the Germans 30 seconds to establish my Jewish identity", wow). After the initial 10-15 min., the film mostly plays out as a road movie where the journey is as important, if not more so, than the destiny. Much of the movie's success depends on the interplay between the old man and the young woman, and at that it mostly succeeds. The old man is play by legendary German actor Mario Adorf (1979's "The Tin Drum", 1981's "Lola"), who was a crisp 83 or so when this movie was made). The young woman is played by up-and-coming German actress Katharina Derr.
I recently saw this movie in the theater as part of the 2017 Israeli & Jewish Film Festival here in Cincinnati, a 3 week long celebration of the best movies out of Israel and Jewish-themed movies in general. "The Last Mentsch" is actually a few years old, no idea why it has taken so long to get it here, but better late than never I suppose. If you are in the mood for a reflective film-cum road movie about the significance of the Jewish identity, you cannot go wrong with "The Last Mentsch".