Zwei Leben

A tight, clever and well done drama based on similar true events, as much a a psychological thriller which is not difficult to recommend. Straight away I got the same feeling as when I saw the German Oscar winning film Das leben der Anderen (The life of others) back in 2006. And this Norwegian/German story has similar elements in some ways, though not to be exaggerated, with consequences going back to when the Berlin wall fell, in this great casted movie which has managed to make Liv Ullmann making a comeback.

In a thriller-like manner we follow a woman in 1990 hiding her identity before going into a children's home archives in Germany in search of a secret. Then we jump to Norway, two weeks earlier to find out why this search has started, then understanding the woman is a German with a family living in Norway. We watch her being confronted with old memories, when a lawyer with German accent approaches her at work, wanting her to participate in a lawsuit regarding the so called Lebensborn-kids deported to Germany due to them having a German father during the second world war. The trouble is that she has a secret history in her life, which now is threatening to surface...

Lebensborn is a dark page in the past war history. During the second world war many German soldiers had relationships to Norwegian women. The women was called German-whores due to the hard feeling between the two countries in war. Due to Nazi ideology the children of these relationships was seen upon as extremely valuable, as pure aryan raced kids. Lebensborn was forced adoptions of these small "children of shame" during and after the occupation, bringing them to Germany as orphans, losing their parents. This story is based in these tragic destinies.

The film keeps interest way through, and is well acted and directed. A strong story making lives difficult several decades later.

I stumbled across this whilst looking for German language films and although it's mostly in Norwegian, I still had to watch because the plot sounded fascinating.

I thought I had it all figured out from the beginning and that I knew exactly how it would end. I was wrong.

When dealing with conspiracies and far-fetched seeming events, the best way to go about it is with subtlety and understatement. Juliane Köhler as the lead 'Katrine', manages to portray the urgency, danger and horror of the situation whilst still being sympathetic. I honestly didn't know who to feel most sorry for by the end of it all.

The only criticism I have (and hence why not 10/10), is that I would have liked to have seen more of the family and how they subsequently dealt with the tragic revelations.

I'm very glad I watched this and it's an easy recommendation from me.

9/10

In Norway, Katrine Evensen Myrdal (Juliane Köhler) is a middle-aged woman happily married with Navy Commander Bjarte Myrdal (Sven Nordin). Katrine loves her daughter Anne (Julia Bache-Wiig) that is a single mother; her granddaughter Turid; and her mother Ase Evensen (Liv Ullmann) that helps Anne to raise Turid. Katrine's father was a German occupation soldier during the World War II and Katrine was taken by the German government and raised in the Sachsen Orphanage in East Germany. At the age of 20, Katrine escapes from East Germany and comes to Norway to meet her mother.

In November 1990, after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the German lawyer Sven Solbach (Ken Duken) seeks Katrine and her mother out to give the testimony in a trial against the Norwegian state on behalf of the war children. Katrine refuses to testify, but Ase accepts and turns the life of her daughter upside-down when Sven discloses hidden dark secrets from her life.

"Zwei Leben" is a spectacular German-Norwegian film with a credible story of espionage, drama, love and thriller based on true events unknown for great part of the world. The screenplay is very well written, disclosing the truth about the mysterious Katrine through flashbacks like a puzzle. The performances are top-notch, highlighting the fantastic German actress Juliane Köhler from "Aimée & Jaguar", "Nowhere in Africa" and "Downfall" among other great movies. It is different to see Liv Ullmann an old lady after so many movies by Ingmar Bergman. In the end, "Zwei Lebe" is a highly recommended movie with an engaging sad story. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Duas Vidas" ("Two Lives")

This drama takes place in 1990, shortly after the demolition of the Berlin wall had begun. This was a time when a young Norwegian lawyer felt that there was a good chance of winning a lawsuit against the Norwegian Government for reparations for the children of the Nazi Lebensborn program. Begun in 1935 the goal of the Lebensborn program was to produce more Aryan children for the Third Reich, mainly by way of Nazi leaders producing plentiful offspring. The program was expanded to occupied countries whereby Nazis would mate with with local unmarried women with many, but not all, of the offspring brought back to Germany.

The story unfolded in a way to keep my interest. On the one hand Katrine, the main character, is seen as the wife of a Norwegian submarine captain--part of a close, happy family. But early on she is seen on a flight out of the country where she completely transforms her appearance. At that point I was hooked to find out what her story was and I appreciated the slow reveal leading to some intensely dramatic scenes. The story is complicated enough to make it hard to describe without revealing plot details.

I had never heard of the Nazi Lebensborn program and this movie shows how focusing on personal experiences can explicate history in a more attention grabbing way than reading a history book. I wish there had been more explanation of the basis for the lawsuit against the Norwegian government. A little research on the topic explains how shabbily, and even cruelly, the Lebensborn children were treated, with the assent of the Norwegian government.

All the actors are in fine form--it's good to see that age is not keeping Liv Ullman off the screen.

Sadly the plot falls apart. The more you understand what has happened, the less plausible it is.

The seaside, buildings, mountains, etc. make for gorgeous background.

The characters are portrayed with depth and sympathy. Each deals appropriately with the stresses that they are under, and you can understand their actions.

The plot moves a long at a good pace, with flashbacks becoming clearer as the movie progresses.

But sadly when all is revealed, the plot has more holes than Romeo and Juliet. Coincidences, unlucky timing, unrealistic actions by professionals, ... it has them all.