At the outset of the war, before word of Hitler’s genocide had spread, Hollywood cast Nazis as dummkopfs, vincible comic relief marching in goose step. In the spirit of Nazis past comes Commandant Klaus Koch (Lars Eidinger), an egomaniacal martinet whose dream is to move to Tehran after the American victory over his homeland, to open a German restaurant. But before that’s possible, he must first learn to speak the language. In the days before Babbel, the best way to pick up a foreign tongue was through personal instruction. That’s where Gilles (Nahuel Pérez Biscayart) comes in. Spared from the gestapo’s bullet, it’s up to Gilles, a Belgian Jew by birth, to pass for Persian in order to survive. Once inside the camps, he further bamboozles Herr Commandant into believing it’s Farsi, not honest-to-goodness Persian babble that he’s learning. Gilles’ sudden teacher’s-pet status causes an overzealous gestapo to spark a rumor that the Persian is likely Koch’s boy toy. Director Vadim Perelman delivers less a Holocaust film and more a primer on how one outlives a time of mass genocide. Gallows humor echoes throughout, placing it in league with Agnieszka Holland’s similar survival quandary, Europa, Europa. And did I mention that it’s based on a true story? (2020) — Scott Marks
This movie is not currently in theaters.