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The Jewish ghetto in Warsaw 1942, only a month or so before the
deportation began: Actress Stefcia (Clara Rugaard) is all set for the
premiere of her group's latest play Love Finds a Room, a light
comedy about two couples falling in and out of love in the Warsaw ghetto
(and an authentic play from the era, actually), which also stars her
boyfriend Edmund (Mark Ryder). However, during the performance, her other
co-star Patryk tells her he's going to flee from the ghetto right after
the show and asks her to come with him - and what makes this so delicate
is that he's also her ex who has never given up on her. Stefcia flat-out
refuses, but when Edmund hears of it, he urges her to go and that way save
her own life, even if with another man. So while basically carrying the
play always with a smile on her face and a song on her lips (since this is
also a musical), she has to make the decision what to do, and things are
not made any easier when the auditorium is surrounded by a battalion of
Nazi soldiers led by Sergeant Szkop (Magnus Krepper) looking for a
"traitor" among the Jewish cast, crew and audience ... Now
this could have been anything from a real tearjerker to a truly depressing
drama due to its basic theme, but the spirited decision to place the whole
story around a(n 100% authentic) light comedy saves the film from drifting
off into clichés and makes it compelling for its own sake, while a
dynamic directorial effort that tells the story in roughly real time
(without falling back on any single take nonsense) keeps the audience on
the edge of their seats throughout, while a strong ensemble cast keeps
things grounded and relatable, making this, despite its drab basic theme,
a very entertaining watch.
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