Written and Directed by Maggie Peren
Starring Louis Hofmann, Jonathan Berlin, Luna Wedler, Marc Limpach and Nina Gummich

Based on the memoir of Samson “Cioma” Schönhaus, The Forger is the story of a 21-year-old Jewish graphic artist hiding in plain sight during the middle of WWII in Berlin. Despite living in hostile home territory, Cioma (played by Louis Hofmann from the smash-hit Netflix series, Dark) is determined to continue living life to the fullest extent possible and is seemingly unfazed by his life-threatening surroundings. A friend is welcomed to live with him, and they party together. A love interest becomes a part of his life. Most dangerous of all, Cioma begins to forge ID cards. 

The Forger is a little like Kenneth Branagh’s recent and Oscar-winning work of art, Belfast. Both films are set in war-torn surrounds that are muted and present daily life from the perspectives of their younger protagonists. Only here, the experience is an incredibly dull and disconnecting one marred by uneven acting and flawed writing. 

I could never appreciate, let alone embrace, the way in which Cioma sees his world or Louis Hofmann’s understanding and performance of his peculiar and complex character. He interacts with others and walks the streets of Berlin with an awkwardly and annoyingly permanent grin on his face as though he were a kid stuck inside Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory! Though this may indeed reflect how the real Cioma carried himself, the characterisation required to make him more accessible just isn’t present. The writing woes unfortunately don’t end there. The only component of the story that manages to be interesting, that being Cioma’s manufacturing and delivering of fake ID’s, isn’t prominent enough throughout the film and consequently is too slow-moving. Given the production’s overall sameness and flatness, tension feels like a much-needed asset that belongs but is mostly absent in The Forger. I do acknowledge the purpose may be for audiences to feel only what Cioma does, but had it been possible to care about him more than we are made to and with the awareness we possess, tension becomes inherent regardless of whose perspective the story is told from. What I found most disappointing of all is the failure to recognise and draw inspiration from a real-life story filled with it. This is what especially leads me to feel the story of Samson “Cioma” Schönhaus has been misjudged on paper and misdirected on screen, despite writer & director Maggie Peren working on the project for more than eight years.

The Forger is showing in selected cinemas across Australia as part of the German Film Festival from May 24th to June 22nd.

Moviedoc thanks Palace and Miranda Brown Publicity for the invite to the screening of this film.

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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