There is a casual vibe to The Forger, written and directed by Maggie Peren, that reflects its hero’s stubborn optimism in the face of very real danger. This informal energy feels incongruous to the content at first, lending an uncomfortableness to this true story that proves very effective. Louis Hofmann plays Cioma Schönhaus, a young Jewish man in 1942 Berlin. In order to keep a factory job while the war’s still on, the former art student must endure an anti-semitic boss and brutal conditions so as not to be shipped away to a concentration camp. Meanwhile, his family’s apartment and possessions are set to be taken from him by the government, his parents having already been deported.
Despite all this, his demeanor is pleasant, his manner hopeful. When Franz Kaufmann (Marc Limpach) offers Schönhaus rations and shelter if he’ll forge ID cards that will usher Jews to safety, he agrees without much protest. While his friend and roommate Det Kassriel (Jonathan Berlin) stresses over food and housing and their personal lack of ID cards, he smiles and jokes. Often he poses as a soldier on leave, allowing appreciative fellow citizens to buy him dinner and a drink.
In certain spots, this tonal juggle recalls something like Life is Beautiful or Jojo Rabbit, for better or worse. Though this very general comparison is perhaps unfair. Hofmann’s lead performance is honest and effective, aided by Peren’s sharp direction. The film surrounding Schönhaus is deadly serious, of course, and we see his façade begin to crack as the stakes grow higher and higher.
This is a handsome picture, often a little too static for its own good. Tense scenes are sometimes a bit limp due to lack of camera movement. We are told our hero is in constant danger, but it feels in spurts that the film doesn’t believe it. As Schönhaus says at one point (purposely unconvincing), and I’m paraphrasing here: “Everything will be okay.” A little long in the tooth at nearly two hours, it’s the small moments that work best throughout. Hofmann’s variations on his character’s need to deliver “Heil Hitler” feels special. Early on he seems to try avoiding it if he can help it. Later on, as his confidence grows in public settings, he allows himself to appear comfortable belting it out. An extended subplot concerning a doomed romance is quite lovely, including a memorable sequence at an upscale restaurant Schönhaus brazenly frequents.
On-the-nose dialogue and a less-than-effective opening in media res hamper the film a bit. Peren’s script gets in the way of her direction from time to time. The Forger‘s biggest success is its rendering of domestic life amongst wartime. There is no big bad Nazi to defeat. There is no Oskar Schindler by way of Steven Spielberg. There are only men and women, trying to survive. Some do. Most don’t. That Cioma Schönhaus does his best to refuse the influence of this banal evil is fascinating to observe. What might it must have taken.
The Forger opens on March 3.