The Forger

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1:49

The Forger

2023,

1h 56m,

History/

Drama/

Biography

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71%

21 Reviews

Tomatometer

99%

500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

21 Reviews

99%

Popcornmeter

500+ Ratings

Berlin, 1940. Cioma Schönhaus (Louis Hofmann, star of the hit Neflix series Dark) is a young Jewish man who won't let anyone take away his zest for life, especially not the Nazis. Since the best hiding spots are in plain sight, Cioma audaciously adopts the identity of a marine officer to escape being deported like his family before him. Drawing on his art school background, he joins a network of underground rescuers and becomes infamous for his masterfully forged IDs -- created with just a brush, some ink, and a steady hand -- that save the lives of hundreds of Jews by allowing them to escape the country. Meanwhile, he throws himself into the city's nightlife and even finds a fragile hope for love during the darkest moments of the war. His talent and propensity for boldness puts him in more and more danger, however, until his only chance of survival is one last forged document -- with his own name on it. Based on a true story.

Noel Murray

Los Angeles Times

May 5, 2023

This film is more of a finely detailed character sketch, about a cocky kid who becomes a hero almost by accident.

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Monica Castillo

RogerEbert.com

Mar 3, 2023

3/4

Peren, who wrote and directed “The Forger,” subtly draws out these conflicted characters one by one.

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Natalia Winkelman

New York Times

Mar 2, 2023

Peren is clever to favor mischief against a backdrop of gloom, but in doing so she draws a frustrating distance between her subject and the audience.

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Claire Fulton

Loud and Clear Reviews

Jul 9, 2026

3.5/5

A ‘little piece of art’ that can be enjoyed, felt and learnt from.

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Michael Clark

Epoch Times

Aug 12, 2023

3/5

Shortcomings aside, “The Forger” is another little-known Holocaust story showing how people under duress discover the “better angels of their nature” almost by default and do the right thing, even if it means perishing in the process.

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Debopriyaa Dutta

High on Films

Jul 24, 2023

The Forger is a beautifully-rendered tale about one man’s dedication to living life in the backdrop of Nazi Germany, focusing on the domestic mundanities which we often take for granted and molds them into necessary personal rituals for survival.

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Maggie Peren

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Louis Hofmann

Cioma Schönhaus

Jonathan Berlin

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Synopsis

Berlin, 1940. Cioma Schönhaus (Louis Hofmann, star of the hit Neflix series Dark) is a young Jewish man who won't let anyone take away his zest for life, especially not the Nazis. Since the best hiding spots are in plain sight, Cioma audaciously adopts the identity of a marine officer to escape being deported like his family before him. Drawing on his art school background, he joins a network of underground rescuers and becomes infamous for his masterfully forged IDs -- created with just a brush, some ink, and a steady hand -- that save the lives of hundreds of Jews by allowing them to escape the country. Meanwhile, he throws himself into the city's nightlife and even finds a fragile hope for love during the darkest moments of the war. His talent and propensity for boldness puts him in more and more danger, however, until his only chance of survival is one last forged document -- with his own name on it. Based on a true story.

Director: Maggie Peren
Producer: Alexander Fritzemeyer, Martin Kosok
Screenwriter: Maggie Peren, Cioma Schönhaus, Maggie Peren
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Production Co: Network Movie Film- und Fernsehproduktion GmbH & Co. KG (Hamburg), Arte, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, Amour Fou Filmproduktion, Dreifilm GbR
Genre: History, Drama, Biography
Original Language: German
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 3, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): May 2, 2023
Box Office (Gross USA): $61.0K
Runtime: 1h 56m

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