The fates of the three men urinating in a Czech field in 1937 will become intertwined over the next seven years. The son of the local Jewish factory owner, David, Csonger Kassai, will escape from Concentration Camp and find refuge with his father`s former sales manager, Josef, Bolek Polivka, and his wife Marie, Anna Siskova, hiding in their secret pantry. The driver of the car on that day in 37, Horst, Jaroslav Dusek, will become a minor Nazi official, powerful enough to be able to swing treats and overlook misdemeanors by his former associates who are now dependent on his favours. Josef, who is a decent man, finds himself having to appear to support the Nazis in order to divert suspicion from his pantry...
This is the most marvellous film, it finds the blurred line of people`s actions in times of acute stress, it doesn`t simplistically demonise Nazi sympathisers and it doesn`t make cardboard heroes out of Josef and Marie. Everyone is an ordinary decent person corrupted more or less by the times. At no point is the situation over-sentimentalised.
The three central characters are ultimately Josef, Marie and Horst and they`re all distinguished by really fine performances.
The director Hrebejk and screenwriter Petr Jarchovsky have been friends and collaborators since high school and their attunement is evident.
Audience vote for the best film at the Sydney Film Festival, an Oscar nominee losing out to Crouching Tiger, Divided We Fall is a mightily intelligent and compassionate film.
Share
