Europa Europa

When I first learned of Emma’s blog-a-thon, I immediately thought of Sir Ian McKellen’s performance in the wonderful film Gods and Monsters, my favorite “gay” film of all time. Actually, it’s one of my favorite films of all time. Period. Emma had challenged us to write about a life changing performance. But, the more I thought about it, the more it became clear to me that this particular performance (and film) did not change my life in a drastic way. Let me explain. I was in my early 20s when I saw this film for the first time. And I was moved by it; it was a great cinematic experience. However, at that age and still today, it took a collection of things—movies, songs, books, and so on—to change my life in any meaningful way. A single movie just doesn’t seem to do the trick anymore.



My life wasn’t always that way. In fact, I saw a film in the early 90s that changed my life in a major way. That film was Europa Europa. This and other films (e.g., anything by Almodovar) made me fall in love with foreign cinema, and that’s why I’ve decided to write about this particular film. Thus, the performance that changed my life—my viewing habits, to be exact—was Marco Hofschneider’s portrayal of Solomon Perel (Solly) in Europa Europa.



As mentioned before, I first saw Europa Europa in the early 90s; I loved it without question. I saw it again last year, and I still enjoyed it immensely. However, the film is not perfect; of course, the flaws that seem so salient now meant little to me a decade ago. Marco Hofschneider’s Solly was born into a typical Jewish family and lived in Germany during the late 1930s and early 1940s, a tumultuous time for Europe. Solly was an adolescent when his family was forced to flee Germany after his sister’s death at the hands of an anti-Semitic mob at the outset of World War II. His family relocated to Poland.



However, Solly's stay in Poland was short lived, as Hitler’s forces invaded Poland in 1939. Solly’s parents decided to stay behind but encouraged their two sons to run far, far away. After much hesitation, Solly and his brother obeyed. During a frantic attempt to board one of several ships that could take them to a safer area, the brothers inadvertently boarded different ships and were separated. They called out to each other, but, sadly, they would not see each other again for years.

Solly ended up in a Russian orphanage and joined a youth organization that promoted communist ideals. He even became fluent in Russian. I should point out that, after seeing this film as a kid, I thought I was a communist for several months. It was a phase. Anyway, Solly was taught to reject religion and the exploitation of the lower classes. At one point he gave the following speech to his peers,

The bourgeois keep the people in ignorance . . . encourage religious superstitions, and with the help of the popes, priests, and rabbis, they smother all revolutionary instinct . . . we call religion the opium of the masses

Then, after two years in Russia, Solly’s life was again turned upside down by the Germans. He was forced to flee the orphanage with his peers and instructors. As before, he was left behind by unfortunate circumstances. He was arrested by German soldiers, but, luckily, he managed to fool them into thinking he was a German boy forced to live in a Russian orphanage. He spoke German perfectly, and he easily befriended the German soldiers



He would spend years pretending to be a German adolescent. And he was eventually sent to Germany, where he was enrolled in one of Hitler’s Youth Schools, surrounded by people who hated all Jews. Things went from bad to worse. He was unable to make love to his girlfriend Leni (Julie Delpy), out of fear of being discovered. One look at his circumcised penis and that would be the end of poor Solly. At one point in the movie, Solly even tried tying his foreskin, to prevent it from slipping back. It was a very painful experience, but his attempt was not successful. Fortunately, he was eventually able to escape. He was reunited with his brother and they made their way to Israel.

This film motivated me to see other foreign films. In fact, at one point in the 90s, I foolishly told my friends that I would only see International films from that point forward. Almodovar! Bunuel! Fellini! And others, of course! Ah, I was very impressionable at that age.

Marco Hofschneider gave a solid performance that truly moved me. The film was based on the real life of Solomon Perel. Marco’s portrayal of Solly really affected me in a way that’s very difficult to articulate. Solly was forced to pretend to be something he wasn’t. He was forced to listen to lectures and read literature that praised the Nordic phenotype and belittled Jewish people and culture—his heritage.

Although I’ve never experienced anything like what the real life Solomon Perel had to endure, I connected with Hofschneider’s Solly. As a gay person, I spent many years pretending to be something I wasn’t. Even after I came to terms with my sexuality, I remained in the closet for many years. I was silent as the people around me made hateful comments about gays.

The great thing about Solomon’s story is that he survived; he somehow managed to overcome all that hardship and psychological stress. More importantly, his experience made him stronger. He was a fighter. I think I’m a lot like Solly. I grew up in a conservative community in Texas. But, just like Solly and many gay men and women around the world, I'm a fighter.