“A LOVE TO HIDE”–horrors of war

“A LOVE TO HIDE”

Horrors of War

Amos Lassen

Only a couple of films have dealt with the treatment of gays during the holocaust. The one that stands out in my mind is the brilliant “Bent” which was not well received because of the depressing content. “A Love to Hide” is also brilliant and depressing but extremely uplifting as well.

Here is the story of gay men during the German occupation of France or as it has been popularly known as the Vichy regime. Jean and Phillipe are two gay lovers who have been hiding their homosexuality from the outside world.  This forbidden love faces a new problem when a former girlfriend of Jean’s appears seeking asylum because she is Jewish and has already watched her family killed. At the same time, Jean’s brother who has been imprisoned for black marketeering is released from incarceration and a series of events forces the hidden lo0ve affair to be discovered. All the secrets that the lovers share become open and not just the lovers, but everyone is suddenly put at risk. Ax the movie moves toward its powerful climax. You will be on the edge of your seat. I think sometimes we forget about how inhuman man can be and what the results that follow this inhumanity are. “A Love to Hide” explicitly shows that inhumanity as well as the goodness of man.

This is an uncompromising love at the horrors of war and its aftermath and an enlightening view of a period in history that we know too little about.

The film stats A list French actors—Jeremie Renier, Louise Monot and Bruno Todeschini and is powerfully directed by Christian Faure. Faure also directed “Just a Question of Love” and recently won major awards with “A Love to Hide”. It recently won the Los Angeles 2006 Outfest Audience Award for best5 picture as well as both the Jury and Audience Awards at the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival as well as best film awards at Washington, Chicago and Toronto gay film festivals.

This is one film you do not want to miss. The photography and the music are stunning, the acting is sublime and the script, as difficult as it is to watch at times, is first rate. The horrific scenes you see on the screen are indeed hard to watch but when it is all over you are left with a feeling of goodness. As Anne Frank once said, and I paraphrase, there is good in all men. Sometimes it is hard to find that but this movie shows you just how to look for it.