The Forger

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The Forger

2023

1h 56m

History

Drama

Biography

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

21 Reviews

99%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Berlin, 1940. Cioma Schönhaus (Louis Hofmann, star of the hit Neflix series Dark) is a young Jewish man who won't let anyone take away his zest for life, especially not the Nazis. Since the best hiding spots are in plain sight, Cioma audaciously adopts the identity of a marine officer to escape being deported like his family before him. Drawing on his art school background, he joins a network of underground rescuers and becomes infamous for his masterfully forged IDs -- created with just a brush, some ink, and a steady hand -- that save the lives of hundreds of Jews by allowing them to escape the country. Meanwhile, he throws himself into the city's nightlife and even finds a fragile hope for love during the darkest moments of the war. His talent and propensity for boldness puts him in more and more danger, however, until his only chance of survival is one last forged document -- with his own name on it. Based on a true story.

Noel Murray

Los Angeles Times

05/05/2023

This film is more of a finely detailed character sketch, about a cocky kid who becomes a hero almost by accident.

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Monica Castillo

RogerEbert.com

03/03/2023

3/4

Peren, who wrote and directed “The Forger,” subtly draws out these conflicted characters one by one.

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Natalia Winkelman

New York Times

03/02/2023

Peren is clever to favor mischief against a backdrop of gloom, but in doing so she draws a frustrating distance between her subject and the audience.

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Michael Clark

Epoch Times

08/12/2023

3/5

Shortcomings aside, “The Forger” is another little-known Holocaust story showing how people under duress discover the “better angels of their nature” almost by default and do the right thing, even if it means perishing in the process.

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Debopriyaa Dutta

High on Films

07/24/2023

The Forger is a beautifully-rendered tale about one man’s dedication to living life in the backdrop of Nazi Germany, focusing on the domestic mundanities which we often take for granted and molds them into necessary personal rituals for survival.

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Daniel M. Kimmel

North Shore Movies

05/08/2023

3/5

Perhaps that’s the real message of “The Forger.” It almost didn’t matter what you did under the genocidal regime. Surviving was as much a matter of luck and chance as it was possessing any particular skills or taking any deliberate actions.

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Svengali

03/04/2023

A compelling look into wartime Berlin with a well acted storyline about being a nTive Berliner who is a Jew with a talent and wits. Recommended.

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Victoria F

@RT49085702 07/18/2024

I really enjoyed it, because the main character was so real, and refused to skulk around. I didn't know some of the history around the story, and so I feel all the better for knowing this now. There is a hint in the movie that Det and the Frau Peters were close "come and hang my chandelier."

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Ty N

@RT00523168 01/07/2024

The most obvious shortcoming throughout the story is the overstretched artistic license. Louis Hofmann is capable of delivering emotional depth when called upon, but the awkward screenplay squanders talent and opportunity.

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Richard

03/19/2023

Good acting good period piecd

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Maggie Peren

Director

Louis Hofmann

Cioma Schönhaus

Jonathan Berlin

Det Kassriel

Luna Wedler

Gerda

Nina Gummich

Frau Peters

André Jung

Herr Dietrich

The Forger: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Berlin, 1940. Cioma Schönhaus (Louis Hofmann, star of the hit Neflix series Dark) is a young Jewish man who won't let anyone take away his zest for life, especially not the Nazis. Since the best hiding spots are in plain sight, Cioma audaciously adopts the identity of a marine officer to escape being deported like his family before him. Drawing on his art school background, he joins a network of underground rescuers and becomes infamous for his masterfully forged IDs -- created with just a brush, some ink, and a steady hand -- that save the lives of hundreds of Jews by allowing them to escape the country. Meanwhile, he throws himself into the city's nightlife and even finds a fragile hope for love during the darkest moments of the war. His talent and propensity for boldness puts him in more and more danger, however, until his only chance of survival is one last forged document -- with his own name on it. Based on a true story.

Director: Maggie Peren
Producer: Alexander Fritzemeyer, Martin Kosok
Screenwriter: Maggie Peren, Cioma Schönhaus, Maggie Peren
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Production Co: Network Movie Film- und Fernsehproduktion GmbH & Co. KG (Hamburg), Arte, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, Amour Fou Filmproduktion, Dreifilm GbR
Genre: History, Drama, Biography
Original Language: German
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 3, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 2, 2023
Box Office (Gross USA): $61.0K
Runtime: 1h 56m