
YouareneverfullyliberatedfromAuschwitz,11July2016<br/> Author:Red-125fromUpstateNewYork<br/> TheFrenchmovie"Àlavie"wasshownintheU.S.withthetranslatedtitle"ToLife(2014)."ItwaswrittenanddirectedbyJean-JacquesZilbermann.ThefilmisaPost-Holocaustsaga,althoughitopenswithscenesinAuschwitzthataretrulyhorrific.<br/> Hélène(JulieDepardieu)andLily(JohannaterSteege)werefriendsinAuschwitz,andtheymanagedtosurvivethedeathmarchfromAuschwitztoLouslautogether.Athirdfriend,Rose(SuzanneClément)wasunabletowalk,sotheywereforcedtoleaveherbehind.Asitturnedout,RosesurviveduntiltheliberationofAuschwitz.Thethreedidnotseeeachotheragainuntil1962,whentheycometogetherforareunionatabeachsideresortinNorthernFrance.<br/> WelearnearlyinthemoviethatLilydivorcedherhusbandafterthewar,andislivingasa"freesoul,"withnopermanentpartner.HélèneandRosebothmarriedconcentrationcampsurvivors.<br/> Theplotofthefilm--basedonthelivesofthreeactualfriends--revolvesaroundtheirinteractionsduringthereunion.Nomatterhowmuchicecreamtheyeat,andhowtheydisplaytheirnewbathingsuits,thoughtskeepcirclingbacktoAuschwitz.<br/> Theyquarrelabouttinydetailswhichtheyrememberdifferently.Theyrevivehorriblememories.It'sclearthatthereunionwillchangetheirlives,butwhetherthechangewillbeforthebetterorfortheworseisanopenquestion.<br/> ForreasonsIdon'tunderstand,"ToLife"cariesaterribleIMDbratingof6.1.Fortunately,wesawitaspartoftheexcellentRochesterJewishFilmFestival.Ifwehadn'thad"All-Event"tickets,weprobablywouldhavestayedhome.Thisisamovietobeseen,notmissed.Ignoretheratingandseekitout.It'savailableonDVD,anditwillworkwellonthesmallscreen.Seeit!






