"The Tribes of Europa"

Finished the series yesterday - wow ... so very good ... lots of commentary about the present state of affairs in Europe ... and some darn good story telling - it's all about power, what we do with it, how it affects us, how some go crazy with it, while others know how to limit its allure. In the midst of it all, family - it is, for better or for worse, our origin.

Yet, we have other origins, too - our tribe.

Special effects, superb. Cast, terrific. Violence? Of course - life is violent, but here in this series it's handled well. It's all part of the story, like it or not. It's the kind of world in which we have to live and work, and find our way.

At the end, I was hooked on the three main characters, siblings, separated from another, striving to be a family again ... each with their own story ... I cared about them, wanting to know more, wanting to see how it works out.

There has to be another season.

Don't miss it.

"Train to Zakopane"

Profound story, true (the filmmaker's father), with tragic twists and turns ... originally done as a play, the film was mostly the play filmed ... simple sets, some scenic footage inserted, some inaccurate "details" as a 1928 setting - a train whistle, costumes, cigarettes (I'll not say more; you'll have to catch these yourself) ... and all dialogue, as with a play, but sometimes tedious as a film.

So, as a film, flawed ...

As a story, enlightening and sad: 1928, a train, across Poland ... a chance meeting, a successful Russian businessman, a nurse in the Polish army, and then hate, love, and always ignorance ...

Poland's "original" sin, if you will, anti-Semitism, and role of the Catholic Church in promoting and perpetuating anti-semitism ... and survival, but at what cost?

In light of the history that unfolded with Herr Hitler, and our own present struggles, this is a story that needs to be told, and a film that needs to be seen. Excellent for groups.