Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)It is too bad that so few people saw this film -- one of the best films of 2000. It focuses upon several generations of an ambitious Jewish family in Austria-Hungary. Its message is sad: in 20th century Eastern Europe, the Jews had no hope integrating -- not with the Emperor, not with the Nazis, and not with the Communists. This Jewish family certainly tried. They fought in World War I, the family gave up its Jewish name, one of them married a Catholic and converted to Catholicism, etc. But nothing was ever enough, and anti-Semitism led to tragedy after tragedy. The film ends while the Communists control Hungary. The youngest member of the family naively had worked for the Communists but became disillusioned. He reclaims the family's Jewish name and walks away from politics and the public realm altogether. We know that he sees the socio-political situation much more clearly than did his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather. He knows that he has a choice: endorse official anti-Semitism (and even then risk being accused of conspiring with Zionists) or be a Jew and take the diminished stature in Hungarian society that comes with it. There is no middle way -- the family's multigenerational drive to accomodate Judaism with financial and political success has failed.
This film has a sweep like few others today. It spans generations, tackles big historical events, and wrestles with serious themes. It is well worth seeing if you like serious cinema. Highly recommended.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Sunshine (2000)
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