Europa, Europa

R

Released Jun 28, 1991

1h 55m

History

Drama

War

List

95%

21 Reviews

Tomatometer

90%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Jewish teenager Salek (Marco Hofschneider) is separated from his family when they flee their home in Germany after Kristallnacht. He ends up in a Russian orphanage for two years, but when Nazi troops reach Russia he convinces them he is a German Aryan, and becomes an invaluable interpreter and then an unwitting war hero. His deception becomes increasingly difficult to maintain after he joins the Hitler Youth and finds love with beautiful Leni (Julie Delpy), a fervent anti-Semite.

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Comrade Y

This movie is amazing, It shows the life of Solomon Perel and how his life evolves during the rise of Nazi Germany and how he did everything to survive the war, and joining the Hitler youth, and as well as being in the Soviet Youth, amazing movie 10/10 Highly recommended.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/25/23

Full Review

omnomnio

(spoilers) This movie did an amazing job of showing the dangers of being a Jew during World War 2, keeping viewers constantly at the edge of their seats during the film. The orchestral music was beautiful, and although it was repetitive, it added to dramatic scenes. The acting was also impressive, notably during emotional scenes such as Robert's death scene and when Solly revealed he was a Jew to Leni's mother. This movie touches on very sensitive subjects and really makes you think about humanity. As a viewer, you can't help but feel guilty for watching parts of this movie. When watching Leni and Solly flirt with each other, I couldn't help but smile until I remembered that Leni was an antisemitic Nazi. Moments like this also make the movie stick with you more. Europa Europa made you question morality and how everyone involved in that war was human, even if they believed in twisted ideologies. Although the movie had some suggestive sexual scenes that were uncomfortable to watch, this movie stuck with me very much. The idea that this movie was based on a real story is truly heartbreaking. I could never imagine someone suffering through such hardships, especially someone my age. Overall, this film has some scenes that are disturbing, but I recommend it regardless. Europa Europa is a movie that will truly stick with you and have you thinking for days.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

05/24/23

Full Review

Dave S

If it weren't based on actual events, Agnieszka Holland's Europa Europa would seem like a pretty improbable story. While certain liberties were probably taken with the actual events, it remains a compelling tale of survival and assimilation set during the horrors of WW2 in Europe. Torn from his family, 16-year-old Salomon masks his Jewish roots while he travels the countryside, ultimately finding himself enrolled as a member of the Hitler Youth. Beautifully shot and acted, especially by Marco Hofschneider in the lead role and Julie Delpy in a brief appearance early in her career, Europa Europa is a cautionary tale that is, sadly enough, as relevant today as it was when it was released over thirty years ago.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

An extraordinary and true story about a German Jewish boy who due to extreme circumstances finds himself in the elite Hitler Jugend, fully underlining how absurd and insane the Nazi race ideology is and forever will be. Oustanding acting by a young main cast and otherwise well executed. A timeless film about an exceptional pocket of time.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/21/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I thought the film was stunning in telling this story that is incredible yet true. Aside from any documentaries that I've been, I thought that it was the finest film covering the the atrocities of Holocaust up until Steven Spielberg's masterpiece, Schindler's List. It's a shame that it wasn't nominated for best foreign film at the Academy Awards.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/09/23

Full Review

s r

1001 movies to see before you die. This one did not affect me despite its at times interesting plot. Overall, it was tedious and fictionalized. Saw on HBO.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Agnieszka Holland

Director

Marco Hofschneider

Solly (Salomon Perel)

Julie Delpy

Leni

André Wilms

Soldier Robert Kellerman

Ashley Wanninger

Gerd

Hanns Zischler

Captain von Lerenau

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

The overall sweep of Europa Europa as both spectacle and story telling is effortless throughout.

Rated: 4/4

May 24, 2022

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: B+

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 3/5

Jan 1, 2000

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Agnieszka Holland narrates this incredible, but true, story in the tone of a picaresque adventure. [Full review in Spanish]

Dec 12, 2022

Full Review

David Harris

Spectrum Culture

In a time when nationalism and hatred fuel political campaigns both in the United States and abroad, Europa Europa remains relevant.

Feb 14, 2020

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Perhaps never before (or since) in film history has circumcision played such a pivotal role in a movie's plotline. Yet that's the almost absurdist thread running throughout Europa Europa.

Rated: 3.5/4

Jul 20, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

Jewish teenager Salek (Marco Hofschneider) is separated from his family when they flee their home in Germany after Kristallnacht. He ends up in a Russian orphanage for two years, but when Nazi troops reach Russia he convinces them he is a German Aryan, and becomes an invaluable interpreter and then an unwitting war hero. His deception becomes increasingly difficult to maintain after he joins the Hitler Youth and finds love with beautiful Leni (Julie Delpy), a fervent anti-Semite.

Director: Agnieszka Holland
Producer: Janusz Morgenstern, Lew Rywin
Screenwriter: Paul Hengge, Agnieszka Holland
Distributor: Orion Pictures
Production Co: Zespół Filmowy Perspektywa, Central Cinema Company Film (CCC), Telmar Film International Ltd., Les Films du Losange
Rating: R (Mature Treatment of Holocaust)
Genre: History, Drama, War
Original Language: German
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 28, 1991, Wide
Release Date (DVD): Mar 4, 2003
Box Office (Gross USA): $23.2K
Runtime: 1h 55m

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