The Counterfeiters

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The Counterfeiters ★★★½ Die Falscher 2007 (R)

RussianJewish counterfeiter Salomon “Sally” Sorowitsch (Markovics) is arrested and winds up in a concentration camp in 1944 Berlin, where he's not only marked as Jewish, but designated as a habitual criminal, alienating him from the general prisoner population. There he's placed in charge of a secret counterfeiting unit with other prisoners, all of whom are afforded special privileges like clean sheets and cigarettes. Even with the “luxuries,” there's no doubt about where they are—the screams penetrate the walls and their new clothes are from the victims. Sally and the others are forced to confront the morality of their situation (aid those who imprison them or rebel at the ultimate cost) as well as confronting their individual demons. Darkly provoc ative alternative to the more common he roic stories of camp survivorship. In Ger man with subtitles. 98m/C DVD . AT GE Karl Markovics, August Diehl, August Zirner, Marie Baumer, Dolores Chaplin, David Striesow, Martin Zirner; D: Stefan Ruzowitzky; W: Stefan Ruzowitz ky; C: Benedict Neuenfels; M: Marius Ruhland.

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