It's World War Two and Josef (Bolek Polívka) and Marie (Anna Sisková) are living on the edge in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. Jewish friend David (Csongor Kassai) is stashed in their pantry, and their German neighbour/Nazi collaborator (Jaroslav Dusek) is beginning to suspect...
If you're thinking "Schindler's List", think again. Divided We Fall is more black comedy than bleak Holocaust drama. And don't go thinking "Life Is Beautiful" either - - unlike Roberto Benigni's all-conquering Holo-com, these characters aren't cartoonish and never fall into easy slots marked Good or Evil.
Slaloming from the light-hearted to the foreboding with barely a lurch (and even finding room for moments of pure slapstick), Jan Hrebejk's impressive movie fully deserved its 2001 Best Foreign Film Oscar nom. Sure, it got kicked into touch by Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, but this remains a winner all the same.
