'The future awaits': The story of a Polish Jewish family in occupied Paris

At a time when the specter of antisemitism is once again haunting the West, it is necessary to remember our past.

'One Life', a film for times when history repeats itself
'The Fox' (Der Fuchs), an atypical film about an Austrian soldier in World War II

Today I watched a French film, "The future awaits" (La vie devant moi), directed by Nils Tavernier. This film tells the true story of Tauba Zylbersztejn (1928-2009) and her parents, Moshe and Rywka, a family of Polish Jews who sought refuge in Paris at the outbreak of World War II and were unable to leave France after the German invasion due to lack of resources.

At the beginning of the so-called "Vel' d'Hiv Roundup" raid on July 16, 1942, in which thousands of Jews in France were arrested and deported, a French Catholic family hid the Zylbersztejns in a service apartment at the top of a building. This Jewish family spent 765 days hiding in that six-square-meter apartment. This film tells their story, and obviously, most of the action takes place in that small apartment. Despite this limitation, the film is very well shot, with magnificent performances and a fabulous soundtrack composed by Baptiste and Pierre Colleu.

I thought the film was excellent and moved me at several points. Between the film's cast, period footage is interspersed, showing the contrasts experienced in Paris at that time. In short, if you want to see good cinema, this film is a great opportunity. I highly recommend it. Here's the trailer in French (you can activate automatic English subtitles in the bottom bar of the player):