Jay Rohr
My Neighbor Adolf provides a smoldering coal of hope. Adding little bits of kindling, it gradually warms the heart. The right mix of melodrama alongside dark humor, blended with honest sentiment fuels that feeling. This may not be the kind of movie many seek out, yet it’s exactly the kind of film folks would do well to watch once.
David Hayman (The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) delivers an award-worthy performance as Mr. Polsky. The story centers on this elderly Holocaust survivor living in seclusion in Argentina circa 1960. One day, another old man moves into the modest home next door. The two are initially sharply discourteous to one another, and what seems like an ordinary grumpy old men conflict intensifies when Polsky becomes certain his neighbor is Adolf Hitler.
My Neighbor Adolf is set in the era when the Israeli government was still actively hunting Nazis. The film even features a newspaper headline declaring the successful hunt and capture of Adolf Eichmann. It’s a marvelous example of how My Neighbor Adolf organically propels its story forward. Despite the extreme serendipity of Hitler moving in next door, the film keeps going because of plausible events. Every cog in the narrative’s clockwork fits together, running smoothly.
Even more enjoyable is the element of skepticism spread throughout the plot. Writers Leon Prudovsky and Dmitry Malinksy leave plenty of room to doubt whether the mysterious old German is in fact the Führer. The result is a story that operates as a Hasidic parable. My Neighbor Adolf is then able to explore animosity through a fabulous mix of irony, absurdity, tragedy, and ridicule.
This is a movie about victims of the past haunted by history that perpetually opens old wounds. At the same time, it suggests that letting things go may be the only way to escape from the thorns people hold onto tightly. Much of this comes courtesy of David Hayman’s excellent portrayal full of sadness and anger. It’s easy to understand his prejudices and persistent rage. However, the magic of that performance is how it reflects off the display delivered by Udo Kier (The Secret Agent) as Herman Herzog, the suspected Hitler.
The late actor conjures a lonely individual, who, as Polsky’s investigation inadvertently brings them together, audiences may find themselves feeling sorry for. And not knowing how to feel about experiencing empathy for this person allows viewers to literally feel the same conflict that afflicts Polsky. The two grumpy men oddly act as mirrors for one another, allowing them to finally recognize and resolve the issues reducing joy in their lives.
Director Leon Prudovsky maintains an even pace from start to finish. The story is never rushed or dragging. Cinematically, there’s a wonderful subtlety to several moments. What seems like simple shots are often visual storytelling that keeps the narrative moving without anyone talking. Meanwhile, the script Prudovsky helped pen has some delicious dialogue as the two men talk around the past. The marvelous performances from the two leads make these exchanges captivating as it seems either one might be on the verge of a dangerously revealing slip of the tongue. At the same time, they can also be humorous.
The delicate subject matter is never mocked. Yet, My Neighbor Adolf has a way of making events occasionally feel comical. At times, the movie made me think this is The ‘Burbs (1989) by way of The Odessa File (1974). It’s a curious combination that works remarkably well, especially thanks to supporting performers.
Olivia Silhavy (Woman in Gold) plays Frau Kaltenbrunner with a subdued sharpness. She acts as the business and legal go-between for Mr. Herzog. Her performance throughout provides bits of suspicion, while never really saying anything absolute. Then there’s Kineret Peled (East Side), playing a less than helpful Israeli intelligence officer. Through her the audience gets to experience the frustration of disbelief as well as the aggravation of someone offering a condescending cure. What’s interesting is how both characters are essentially women frustrated by having to protect these two old men from themselves.
In a weird way, My Neighbor Adolf is about lonely people who don’t know how to reach out to others. As a strange friendship develops between the two men, it’s bizarrely heartwarming to see how they bring out the long-buried best in each other. My Neighbor Adolf is a wonderful example of how the intangible elements of a movie can be its most important. The feelings it stirs up in a viewer are honest, relatable, and potent. Even if they involve finding a strange sympathy for a suspected Hitler.
Whether or not Kier is actually the infamous Adolf is a delicious part of the conclusion. It may be the movie’s most successful gamble because of its payoff. At risk of implicative spoilers, while there’s a certain tragedy to the end, it’s also hopeful.
My Neighbor Adolf is a wonderful reminder that people can heal given the right opportunity. David Hayman turns in a performance brimming with myriad emotional implications, sometimes simply with a facial expression. No less important is Udo Kier in a stellar display as a sad person desperate to escape the shadow of history he cannot outrun. This is a curious movie that mixes laughter with sadness, that never gets crushingly tragic, instead offering humanizing grief. My Neighbor Adolf shows that there is hope for those willing to kindle a connection.
