About Europa Europa

Europa Europa is a historical war drama film released in 1991. It is a unique and emotional exploration of a Jewish boy's experience in the second World War. The boy, Solomon Perel, manages to escape the Holocaust by masquerading as an ethnic German, leading to a series of unforeseen circumstances, unexpected alliances, and personal tests.

Making / Production

The movie was directed by Agnieszka Holland. It faced a lot of hurdles due to the sensitive nature of the plot, and the fact that it was based on a real-life story added more responsibility to the making. The film was eventually produced by Artur Brauner and Margaret Menegoz.

Actors

• Marco Hofschneider as Solomon Perel: Hofschneider sensitively portrays the character's struggle to maintain his hidden identity.
• Julie Delpy as Leni: Delpy playfully portrays Leni, a young German girl, unaware of Solomon's secret.
• Klaus Abramowsky as Isaak Perel: Abramowsky plays the father figure in the movie, his character's emotions are pivotal to the storyline.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• The film is based on the 1989 autobiography of Solomon Perel.
• A notable feature of this film is that it was made in multiple languages, the characters are seen speaking in German, Russian, Polish and Yiddish, according to the situations.

Awards

Europa Europa won a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. It was also given an honorary award by the National Board of Review.

Quotes

• "Survival is nothing. When you start to live again, that's when it hits you. What you've lost."
• "One second can make a difference between life and death."

Music, Soundtrack

• The haunting soundtrack of the film was composed by Zbigniew Preisner, emphasizing the emotional and psychological journey of the protagonist.