Lore (2012)

Directed by: Cate Shortland

Country: Australia / Germany / UK

Review: Eight years after the heartfelt “Somersault”, Australian filmmaker Cate Shortland makes her second move on feature film, to depict a German Nazi family at the end of WWII. Lore was abandoned to her luck after her parents, two devotees of the Fuhrer, have left their refuge to escape from the Allied forces. Continuously struggling to feed her five younger siblings, Lore departs with them for a long and risky journey, trying to reach her grandmother’s house in Hamburg. What she didn’t expect was to receive help from someone she learned to abominate all her life: a Jewish young man. Don’t be discouraged by the familiar theme; this film has more than the usual stuff. Newcomer actress Saskia Rosendahl was simply brilliant, showing the rigidness of the Nazi pride in opposition to the discomfort resultant from unexpected feelings or desires. The disappointment felt by the zealous supporters of Hitler's regime was depicted with genuine bitterness, along with the images of a chaotic and devastated Germany. “Lore” is subtle but incisive, proving that no fuss is needed to make a competent film. Its meaningful story, acute images, and immense heart, were enough to make it special.