The Jewish Cardinal

Filmmaker Ilan Duran Cohen's energetic and emotionally compelling The Jewish Cardinal tells the true story of Aaron Jean-Marie Lustiger, Archbishop of Paris from 1981 to 2005. An intellectual maverick reluctantly caught up in geopolitical dynamics in the waning years of the Cold War, Lustiger was also driven by conflicts in his own identity as a Jew who converted to Catholicism in 1940. Favored by the new pope, Lustiger (Laurent Lucas) quickly ascends to the office of archbishop and becomes a special confidante to John Paul II (Aurélien Recoing), whose Polish nationality draws the men into a close bond (Lustiger's mother died at Auschwitz). Insistent that he is both Jewish and Catholic—reminding everyone that Jesus himself was a Jew—Lustiger nevertheless has trouble reconciling these religious forces in his life, both personally (his father, played by Henri Guybet, could never accept his son's conversion) and officially. The second half of the film largely concerns a brewing scandal concerning Carmelite nuns who take over a part of the Auschwitz camp to establish a convent and hospital for the poor. With Jews outraged that this lasting reminder of the Holocaust is being claimed by Catholics, enormous pressure falls on Lustiger to find a solution, especially with John Paul II dragging his feet for diplomatic reasons. A powerful film with a commanding performance by Lucas, this is highly recommended. (T. Keogh)