Monday, April 26, 2010

Aimée & Jaguar by Max Färberböck, 1999


With Maria Schrader, Juliane Köhler, Johanna Wokalek

"In 1943, as World War II's Battle of Berlin rages, with air raids forcing families into their cellars for shelter and bombs exploding all over the city, Felice Schragenheim and Lilly Wust fall in love. Felice, a dark and beautiful Jewish woman who is constantly in danger of being apprehended by the Gestapo, works for a Nazi newspaper under a false name, feeding what she learns to underground resistance leaders. Lilly, a flowery blond housewife living in bourgeoise comfort, raises 4 little boys, passing the time until her Nazi husband, Gunther, returns from the war. When the two meet, and Felice makes advances, Lilly responds, falling into total submission under Felice's spell. They nickname each other Aimee (Lilly) and Jaguar (Felice), spending every night dancing to popular 40s jazz music with Felice's eccentric lesbian friends, and every day raising the four boys who treat Felice like a second mother. It is not until the end of their affair, when Lilly--and soon thereafter, the authorities--learns that Felice is a Jew, and tragedy befalls the couple." Rotten Tomatoes

A beautiful movie, tragic of course, of two women who lived a love that was not allowed in this time of war, not only because they were two women, but one was Jew. It still needs to exist, and the little time of their story is like a fairy tale in the middle of horrors. The actresses are touching. I fell in love...

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