Reviews

This is a remarkable film, not because it has car chases, endless gunfights, graphic sex - it has none of these, and is all the better for it. The story develops slowly, but it really is worth being patient as it unfolds. While that story can be summarised in a few words, it nonetheless develops on many levels. The acting is of a high standard throughout and George Clooney (who also directs with subtlety and finesse) demonstrates his great skill as a fine actor. The design and art direction are excellent. In the end the film is about deeply human values, reflective and ultimately life-enhancing.

I had the good fortune to see this excellent film at the Pod Baranami film house in Kraków in July... at the (heartbreaking) end of the film the audience sat in silence while the credits rolled. At 88 minutes it is a short film, it is in a subtle black and white, there are no fancy effects, one scene follows another with a brief blank screen between, and yet the film grips from beginning to end. The ensemble performances are strong, the two leads are magnificent and the sense of place and period are perfect. What is extraordinary is the way in which the film creates a potent reminder of the ways in which the human spirit and love can survive the worst that a totalitarian state can inflict on its people. In our time, while far right politics rears its ugly head, there is also a timely warning in this extraordinary achievement in European cinema.