22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Holocaust movie that depicts the struggles of faith & hope, February 18, 2008
In The Presence of Mine Enemies centers around a Jewish family in the last days of the Warsaw Ghetto. It is November 1942, and most of the Jews in the ghetto have been deported. We are introduced to Rabbi Adam Heller [Armin Mueller Stahl] and his daughter Rachel[Elina Lowensohn] who try to live as quietly as they can, evading the dreaded transports for as long as possible. The Kommandant is portrayed as an evil, merciless character who has no qualms sending children to their deaths and has his eye set on Rachel. Chad Lowe portrays a young Nazi officer who proclaims that Jews are 'subhumans' yet acts contrary to his beliefs. He refuses to hit the Rabbi, and though is forced to obey the cruel whims of his superior, the Kommandant, does so against his conscience.
The story centers mainly on the struggles of Rabbi Heller who tries to remain passive and accepting of the dire circumstances of his people in the ghetto, yet a chain of incidents challenge not only his passivity but also his very faith. When his own daughter falls prey to an evil nazi, his son Paul [already imbued with vitriolic hatred towards the Germans "We need to kill ten German babies for each one of ours"] challenges his father's deep faith and mocks his father's belief in God.
Though this movie is based on a work of fiction, it definitely resonates with one's emotions, and the credible cast of characters [except perhaps the besotted young Nazi played by Lowe] make this a worthy addition to movies dealing with the Holocaust theme.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
you will not soon forget this movie, June 10, 1999
this is a beautiful movie with a powerful theme of morality.The sound track adds to the power and should be sold separately...so far I haven't found it. If you want to have some food for the mind and add some shades to the spectrum of grays see this movie.
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24 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Classic!, December 24, 2007
Superbly acted, this is a neo-classical tragedy which transcends the parameters of its historical setting. Don't mistake this for another run-of-the mill yarn on Nazism or the Holocaust. It brings to the fore the basic struggles of power,righteous revenge, choices, and the timeless question of why does God permit evil and suffering in the world.
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