Full Description
Two exceptional men set out to revisit Europe and their pasts. The story follows a 77-year-old boxer, Jan Weiner, and a 72-year-old professor, author and filmmaker, Arnost Lustig, as they reminisce about romance, humor and the life and death situations they faced fifty years ago. From Prague to Slovenia and Italy, the filmmaker travels with them as they retrace their steps. By combining spontaneous action with reflective conversations and archival footage, Bar-Lev weaves a complex portrait of men who lived an astonishing youth. They tell stories about playing soccer while waiting to be gassed in Auschwitz and losing their virginity the night before being transported to a camp. The film includes rare archival footage never before seen by Western audiences. From eerily familiar footage of the 1942 bombing of Yugoslavia, to kitsch socialist musicals, this powerful, heartfelt and funny document serves as a respectful nod to an aging generation of World War II survivors.
Filmmaker Bio(s)
Amir Bar-Lev graduated magna cum laude from Brown University in 1994, majoring in film and comparative mysticism. Amir also studied film production at FAMU, the Prague Film Academy. "Fighter", Bar-Lev's feature-length debut, has garnered awards at The Newport International Film Festival, Galway International Film Fleadh, and Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Amir is currently directing and screenwriting in Los Angeles, CA.
