Engaging tale has its tragic overtones
“Bye Bye Germany,” a refreshingly original, unpredictable tale about Jews trying to trick their way out of postwar Europe, is part caper, part Holocaust drama, part buddy movie, part romance and part melancholic comedy. For the most part, it juggles these elements admirably, unweaving a tale that’s droll, dark, sad and ultimately affecting.
The story begins shortly after the fall of Hitler, when remaining Jewish residents are eking out an existence and fantasizing about the American Dream — all while stuck at their displaced persons camp in Frankfurt. Former linen salesman and concentration camp survivor David Bermann (Moritz Bleibtreu, wonderful) wants to go to America in style, so he recruits a merry band of peddlers to hawk linens — and separate unwitting Germans from their money.
These little ruses are consistently amusing, though underneath them lie a sadness that permeates the movie, whose mascot is a scene-stealing three-legged dog that yearns for a real home, too.
But “Bye Bye Germany” is much more than a con game. A crucial part of the satisfyingly complex narrative involves David’s problems with the postwar authorities,
who suspect him of having collaborated with the Nazis because of his actions in the concentration camp. In haunting flashbacks, we see how David’s penchant for telling jokes to prison guards leads to some very unfunny repercussions — and perhaps costs him his soul.
The strongest thing about director Sam Garbarski’s film, beyond the impressive production design, is the central performance of Bleibtreu, who convincingly plays Bermann as a joker, con man, closet romantic and deeply scarred court jester. For Bermann, embellishing the truth is his only way to escape the horrors of the past, though deep down, he knows he can’t escape anything.
Garbarski proves less effective with the romantic elements, and sometimes the tonal shifts don’t work seamlessly. But “Bye Bye Germany” is a formidable exercise in storytelling. Even at the end, when the inevitable goodbye toast occurs, there is a twist awaiting us.