Past Life looks at past wrongs
Past Life (out of 4) Starring Joy Rieger, Nelly Tagar. Written and directed by Avi Nesher. Opens Friday at Canada Square. 109 minutes. 14A
Venerable Israeli filmmaker Avi Nesher’s latest film provides an interesting take on the consequences of war, specifically the Second World War.
And while so many films have examined the war and the Holocaust that took such an egregious toll on the Jewish community, Past Life looks at it from a novel perspective, examining the possible “crimes” committed by a survivor.
The story is set in 1977 when young Sephi Milch is performing as part of a choir at a concert in Berlin. An elderly woman, recognizing her last name, approaches her afterward and when she learns she’s the daughter of Dr. Baruch (Bunio) Milch, calls him a murderer.
While the encounter unsettles Sephi, it becomes an obsession back in Jerusalem for her older sister, Nana, a magazine writer with strong personal and political convictions.
When Nana is struck by cancer, the quest for the truth becomes even more personal: She believes her father’s past sins have a link to her dire illness.
Nesher, who wrote the screenplay, demonstrates his skill as a masterful storyteller. As the story unfolds, both sisters with varying degrees of urgency seek out the truth.
Their father (Doron Tavory) was a strict and occasionally cruel taskmaster. Did the war turn him, like so many others, into a monster?
The action jumps between Jerusalem, Poland and Germany as the mystery is revealed in bits of pieces.
Nesher gets the period detail spot on, right down to the wardrobe, and there’s a scene set in an underground Warsaw night club that demonstrates just how funky life was even under a repressive Communist regime.
The performances are also exceptional, starting with Joy Rieger as Sephi, a gentle, soulful would-be composer, and Nelly Tagar providing anice counterpoint as Nana, her livelier, combative sister.
Rafael Stachowiak is watchable as Thomas Zielinski, a Polish-German composer who plays a critical role in the story.
The story, both intricate and compelling, provides a sombre and satisfying conclusion.