Lore, 2012.
Directed by Cate Shortland.
Starring Saskia Rosendahl, Nick Holaschke, Nele Trebs, Mika Seidel, André Frid, Urdina Lardi and Hans-Jochen Wagner.
SYNOPSIS:
Following the fall of the Nazi regime in the spring of 1945 and the imprisonment of her senior SS parents, 14 year old Lore leads her young siblings from their home northwards to Hamburg. On the way they encounter a Jewish adolescent, who romantically confuses the ideologically brainwashed Lore…
Powerful, emotionally charged and detailing a period of modern German history largely neglected in cinema, Lore is a darkly beautiful piece of work that demands attention. Whilst many films taking Nazi Germany as their central stage concentrate on the seizing of power by Hitler in 1933, World War II or the fall of the regime – most prominently in 2004’s Downfall – Cate Shortland’s adaptation of an Anglo-German novel (Rachel Seiffert’s The Dark Room) looks at the period immediately following Germany’s final surrender.
Introductions to the hateful figures of the SS mother and father are established early on – as are their parental techniques of indoctrination, brainwashing and bullying. As the link between the old world of the Nazis and the new world of post-war confusion they are both excellent and terrifying in an all too believably human way.
The child actors are uniformly excellent, with Rosendahl’s Lore perfectly capturing the confusion of adolescence added to the intense inner fury of lost innocence. In a fashion, she represents the immediate post-Nazi Germany itself – only knowing of a world forced by the controlled madness of the National Socialists, she becomes destined for a voyage of self-discovery as she comes to realise that everything she once knew to be true could well be false.
The mysterious figure of the Jewish boy (Kai Malina) is also a character of great curiosity. Lore’s object of stilted desire and confused attraction plays as a kind of gatekeeper to another world, a world not without danger, but one of great interest to the conflicted teenager.
Expertly produced with the beautiful German countryside contrasting brilliantly with the basest and cruelest of human behaviour, Lore is a film to get lost in and marvel at. While it certainly won’t be many people’s idea of a relaxing night out, if allowed to creep into the consciousness it can easily spark countless dissuasions and philosophical ideas… A wonderfully affecting film, Lore should be caught by anyone with any kind of interest in modern history, identity or humanity itself.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★
Robert W Monk is a freelance journalist and film writer.
Originally published February 18, 2013. Updated April 11, 2018.
