four and a half stars

Reviewed by Daniel E. Jennis

The winner of the 2007 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, “The Counterfeiters” is a deftly crafted and deeply moving tale of survival and responsibility. Set during the height of Nazi power and exploring the reality of the horrific Eastern European death camps, “The Counterfeiters” examines a group of Jewish prisoners who are employed making counterfeit pounds and dollars for the Nazi regime.

Karl Markovics stars as Salomon Sorowitsch, a reckless forgery expert who is transported to a concentration camp after being arrested for his criminal actions. Sorowitsch possesses an incredible will to survive, and uses his calligraphic talents in order to gain the favor of his captors. Eventually, Salomon finds himself in a relatively safe camp, where is he assigned the responsibility of leading a team of talented Jewish craftsmen in forging massive amounts of American and British currency.

At first, Salomon takes to his task with renewed vigor and does whatever is demanded of him. But thanks to the help of a Marxist prisoner, he begins to realize that his labor is funding the Nazi war effort, and ultimately furthering the extermination of the Jewish race. Knowing that sabotaging the project will result in instant death, Salamon must decide whether he is willing to sacrifice his own life in order to save the lives of countless others.

This film tells a fascinating and really accessible story that is executed with brutal precision. After gaining a rudimentary understanding of the film’s chief protagonist, viewers are quickly thrust into the incomparable misery of the camps. The violence and cruelty is played out on screen with a proper balance of tastefulness and realism. The images of exploitation are only shown when necessary, and as a result they pack quite a visceral punch. Such a strong sense of place and mood is created that the ethically nihilistic world of the camps becomes palpable and suffocating.

Markovics gives an understated and sad performance as a strong-willed man whose passion and dignity is trampled by the inhumane conditions that engulf him. His inexpressive presence and unassuming demeanor paint a portrait of dejectedness that lays the groundwork for his ethical quandary. Surrounded by a world of grays, grime, and prison walls, Markovics melts into the hostile contours of his environment. And the film burns bright, fostering the fire of hope in the darkest of times.