Le miroir aux alouettes

A fine movie showing just how easy it is for people to become oppressors. Tono is just an average Joe, keeping his nose clean, until he is co-opted into participating in the Nazi regime by his well-placed brother-in-law. Along the way Tono's wife shows the warping power of greed. The seeds of a fatal moral dilemma are set as Tono becomes the Aryan "controller" of a Jewish business run by a befuddled widow. Ultimately the horror becomes clear as the Jews are rounded up and the widow - played brilliantly - briefly comes to her senses and realizes she is the victim of a "pogrom." All the relationships and characters in the movie are finely drawn and well acted, and the production values were excellent.

The version I reviewed was subtitled in English, and unfortunately some of the subtitles were difficult to read.