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.
