It was clear from the first few minutes of the film that the protagonist (Solly) survived his death camp experience. The scene is the immediate aftermath of WWII and Solly checks into a casino hotel in Monte Carlo, along with a suitcase of US Currency. After a brief encounter with a woman he picked up in the casino, the scene flashes back to pre WWII in Berlin, where Solly is a successful counterfeiter, eagerly sought after for his skills in forging identity documents for Jews seeking to flee Nazi Germany.
Solly is also Jewish, but feels he is clever enough to elude the coming storm. Eventually he is betrayed by a rival and ends up in a concentration camp. However, his counterfeiting skills help him escape the gas chambers. The Nazis plan is to undermine US & British currency through a massive counterfeiting project & Solly (among other fellow Jewish concentration camp inmates) is recruited to lead the effort.
The moral dilemma of the Jewish prisoner's ability to survive by helping the murderers of their fellow Jews weighs heavily with Solly and his associates. The movie does an excellent job of portraying the dynamics of the issue, from the different perspectives, namely the prisoners who want to survive by actively participating in the counterfeiting project, and those who would rather die by sabotaging it.
As the leader of the counterfeiters, Solly needs to walk a fine line between following his own instincts to survive, and respecting the imperatives of those who want to sabotage the project, ensuring the death of the entire group.
There are many films that touch on the narrative of the holocaust victim compromising one's own moral outlook in order to survive. "The Pianist" & "Fateless" are two recent critically acclaimed films that explored this territory. I would rate "The Counterfeiter" superior to both of these excellent films.
This was an outstanding film, and I recommend it highly.
Solly is also Jewish, but feels he is clever enough to elude the coming storm. Eventually he is betrayed by a rival and ends up in a concentration camp. However, his counterfeiting skills help him escape the gas chambers. The Nazis plan is to undermine US & British currency through a massive counterfeiting project & Solly (among other fellow Jewish concentration camp inmates) is recruited to lead the effort.
The moral dilemma of the Jewish prisoner's ability to survive by helping the murderers of their fellow Jews weighs heavily with Solly and his associates. The movie does an excellent job of portraying the dynamics of the issue, from the different perspectives, namely the prisoners who want to survive by actively participating in the counterfeiting project, and those who would rather die by sabotaging it.
As the leader of the counterfeiters, Solly needs to walk a fine line between following his own instincts to survive, and respecting the imperatives of those who want to sabotage the project, ensuring the death of the entire group.
There are many films that touch on the narrative of the holocaust victim compromising one's own moral outlook in order to survive. "The Pianist" & "Fateless" are two recent critically acclaimed films that explored this territory. I would rate "The Counterfeiter" superior to both of these excellent films.
This was an outstanding film, and I recommend it highly.