FILIP
Cert 15
124 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong language, sex, violence, threat
When I thought I had seen every type of story about the Second World War, comes one from a broad new perspective.
Filip is based on the autobiography by Leopold Tyrmand, a Polish Jew who hid in plain sight as a waiter in Germany.
Although the narrative has been given a dose of dramatic alteration, its bare bones are true and remarkable.
Michal Kwiecinski's movie stars Eryk Kulm as the title character, who sees his parents and girlfriend wiped out by German soldiers in the Warsaw Ghetto.
The film hastily moves to Frankfurt, where Filip poses as a French forced labourer in an up-market hotel.
Unfortunately, there is no explanation of how he arrived there and learned French and German, so he is undetectable.
It is also interesting how nobody questions his race, and that prompted us to wonder how many Jews escaped the Nazis by simply denying their religion.
I digress.
Filip takes his revenge on the Nazis in several ways, including sleeping with their most attractive wives and daughters.
This is dangerous from both sides, as it is illegal to taint Aryan blood.
Zoe Straub plays a young woman who seeks a good time among the foreign waiters, but Filip falls for another (Caroline Hartig), whom he meets around the pool.
Meanwhile, the hotel staff are also in peril because they are at the whims of vicious Nazi officers who stay there.
It adds up to an intoxicating story of revenge with a slice of love thrown in with a backdrop of extreme violence.
Kulm gives a riveting performance as Filip, a man whose moral compass has been understandably twisted by the events he has witnessed.
Regardless of his flaws, we were inwardly cheering him on.
Reasons to watch: A very different angle to World War 2
Reasons to avoid: Occasionally prompts head-scratching
Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: Yes
Overall rating: 8/10
Did you know? About 1,900 Jews survived the Second World War while hiding in and around Berlin.
The final word. Eryk Kulm; 'This is the greatest adventure in life, the most beautiful. An amazing experience." Polskie Radio
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