Lore

Set in 1945 in the Bavarian countryside just after Germany's surrender near the end of WWII, this coming-of-age/survival story centers on teenaged Hannalore Dressler (Saskia Rosendahl)—nicknamed Lore—who is left in charge when her parents are taken into custody for Third Reich war crimes. Just before departing, Lore's mother instructs her stolid, responsible daughter to take the four younger siblings—ranging in age from an infant to a pre-teen—to their grandmother's house, some 500 miles to the north, near Hamburg.As they all trek across the Black Forest countryside—where anti-Semitism is rampant, and many villagers believe that the Holocaust images posted on bulletin boards were staged by actors—Lore barters their meager possessions for food and medicine. Along the way, the kids are stopped by American soldiers who demand to see their identification papers. Observing their dilemma is Thomas (Kai Malina), a mysterious young Jewish man with a number tattooed on his arm, who comes to their rescue, claiming that they are his siblings. While grateful, the sullen Lore is also stubbornly conflicted; her Hitler's Youth Corps Nazi indoctrination taught her to distrust and loathe Jews. Eventually, Thomas will become their leader/guardian, not only arousing sexual feelings in Lore but also forcing her to question her beliefs. Australian director Cate Shortland's admirably restrained drama, based in part on Rachel Seiffert's 2001 novel The Dark Room, is a powerful, thought-provoking film. Extras include a “making-of” featurette, alternate ending, deleted scenes, and a “Memories of a German Girl” featurette. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a "making-of" featurette (17 min.), a panel discussion with Reel Talk host Stephen Farber, Fareed Majari of the Goethe-Institut, and Tom Tugend of the Jewish Journal (15 min.), a "Memories of a German Girl" featurette with Angela Greiner of the Goethe-Institut (10 min.), deleted scenes (6 min.), an alternate ending (3 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a winning foreign drama.] (S. Granger)