Saratoga Jewish Community Arts, with a generous grant from the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York and sponsored by Temple Sinai of Saratoga Springs, presents a panel discussion on Zoom of the award winning Czech film Divided We Fall, on May 13 at 7 pm.
Directed by Jan Hrebejk, the 2000 film is a true story that takes place in a German-occupied Czech village in World War II. A childless couple find themselves making dangerous choices as they hide a neighbor’s son, who has escaped from a concentration camp, in their pantry for two years.
The characters are fascinating, flawed, and as events unfold, capable of greater self-awareness and personal growth. There is much frenzy and chaos, but the one solid rock in the middle of it all is David, the quiet, tortured Jew who is shy, unassuming … and supposed to be dead. David exhibits such strength of love and depth of patience, it’s hard to believe the fear that his very existence can evoke in the lives of good people like the couple who take him in.
The film is a masterpiece of mixed emotions and engrossing characters. It asks each person how deep their loyalties lie and to what extent they will remain true. The story is gripping, filled with war and death, with its characters beset by fear and paranoia in life under occupation. Despite the moral relativism, Divided We Fall is an uplifting story filled with a message of hope and faith.
“The filmmaker,” says Phyllis Wang, Coordinator of SJCA, “explores not only the banality of evil as articulated by Hannah Arendt, but also the banality of goodness and the irrationality as well as the tragedy of their collision.”
Watch a Trailer
Click below for a trailer of the film:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0234288/. (-> czmucfgbb.cc.rs6.net)
Where to Watch
Divided We Fall is available to stream for free on the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/divided-we-fall-2000 (-> czmucfgbb.cc.rs6.net)
It is also available to rent for streaming from Amazon and Apple.
Sponsor: Saratoga Jewish Community Arts