1943
was an awkward time to be a Danish jazz musician playing in a style inspired by
Django Reinhardt’s Hot Club of France. Being Jewish was even more dangerous for
Arne Itkin and his family. Denmark was an exception to the norm in occupied
Europe, because of the high survival rate for Danish Jews and the extensive
defiance among everyday Danes. Unfortunately, the October 6th tragedy
in the seaside village of Gilleleje was the exception to the exception. That is
exactly where the Itkins are headed in Nicolo Donato’s Across the Waters (trailer here) which screens
during the 2018 New York Jewish Film Festival.
Initially,
Itkin refused to believe there was any danger of French-style round-ups,
because of the high degree of autonomy the protectorate government negotiated.
He was wrong. As a result, his family was not as prepared as it should have
been to seek passage to Sweden (where his well-to-do in-laws were already
safely established). For a while, Itkin kept lugging his guitar, believing it
would help serve their needs in Sweden, but it will not survive the close calls
on the road to Gillejele.
Most
of the Calvinistic Gilleleje villagers believe it is their Christian duty to
aid all Jewish refugees, especially Niels Børge Lund Ferdinansen, the
unofficial leader of the skippers and Donato’s grandfather. Unfortunately, his
brother-in-law Kaj is an exploitative war-profiteer—and that’s when he is at
his best.
Across depicts probably
the ugliest incident in Danish history as a way of portraying the best of the
Danish resistance. This is not a dumbed-down morality play. Both Jews and
ostensibly Christian villagers alike make bad decisions and act disgracefully out
of fear or panic. Yet, the fact remains, the overwhelming majority of the village
refused to participate in injustice.
As
Arne and Miriam Itkin, David Dencik and Danica Curcic hardly have time to catch
their breath during the tense, on-the-run first half of the film, but they
really lower the boom in the tragic Gillejele-set scenes. Jakob Cedergren also
helps humanize Donato’s revered grandfather, while sacrificing none of his
heroism. Nicolas Bro is boldly and fiercely contemptible as the irredeemable
Kaj, while his real-life sister Laura Bro is quietly devastating as the
profoundly sad and deeply disappointed Katrine Ferdinansen.
There
have been many well-meaning, competently executed survivor stories previously
dramatized on the big screen before, but in this case, music helps distinguish Across from the pack. There is a nice
large ensemble Hot Club musical number that helps establish the Itkins’ passion
for life, but Jesper Mechlenburg’s closing original song, “Safe and Sound” has
a strikingly somber, somewhat Leonard Cohen-esque vibe that really sums up the essence
of the film. Highly recommended for general audiences, Across the Waters screens this Thursday afternoon (1/18) and
Saturday evening (1/20), at the Walter Reade, as part of this year’s NYJFF.
