During the Summer of 1942, France’s government was giving the Nazis the Jews they wanted. 13,000 French Jews were rounded up and got transferred from one place to another. The first place was a stadium, then the Beaune-la-Rolande internment camp. Then the adults get separated from the children and are sent to the East.
Blaine: Rose Bosch wanted to make her own movie about the holocaust. For three years, Rose would look up whatever stories she could find and she felt they were all worthy to tell, but she only could choose one. There was one story Rose liked more than others. It was about two eleven year old Jewish boys who managed to escape a camp. One of them, Jo Weismann, was still alive, and Rose met with him for an interview. He told Rose his whole story. Rose loves children, and decided that her holocaust film would also show things from a child’s point of view.
Rose was lucky enough to get an ensemble of experienced actors to recreate this trauma. The child actors that were hired didn’t completely understand what they were apart of because they weren’t ready to learn this history lesson. Rose was impressed with the work they did while the camera was rolling. They made themselves convincing that they were living through miserable times.
There are various characters in this film. A lot of the characters may be fictional, but whether they are fictional or non-fictional you really feel something for them and they represent something that actually happened to people.
Marshal Philippe Pétain, and Prime Minister Pierre Laval were collaborating with Hitler, and the Nazis, and handing over them the Jews. Things started off fine for Jews living in Paris, of course there were certain places they couldn’t be in. Then the French government banned everything for them, schools, parks, and a lot of them had to be fired from their jobs. They looked at the positives though like having each other for one. Then things kept getting worse and worse. They were forced out of their homes and the French officers gathered them up as if they were animals and took them to Velodrome d’Hiver, a indoor racing track, then Beaune-la-Rolande internment camp. You would expect this from the Nazis, but I never knew that French Officers behaved this way around Jews too. It’s a good thing the officers didn’t get everyone.
Movies like “Schindler’s List”, and “Sobibor” have shown us what horrible things the Jews had to go through in those days. “La Rafle” is lighter than those films. I mean there is one death shown in the movie. A Jew takes her own life by jumping off a building, but that’s just it. It doesn’t show anyone taking a bullet to the head, or seeing them in a gas chamber. However, the French officers do bully the Jews, and seeing that angered me. They hit them, they slap a woman, Bella Zygler, and she is pregnant. They kick her kid in the stomach. All of this really angers me. Bella’s eldest daughter, Louise, manages to escape while the officers are distracted, takes her baby brother, Leon, with her, and hides out with a priest.
Actress Melanie Laurent is good at playing characters that are hardcore and strong in spirit. In “La Rafle”, Melanie shows that her character, Annette, has a lot of heart. Annette is a graduate nurse who loves children and questions why the Jews have to be treated miserably. She keeps asking what kind of rules are these? Her eyes are wide open and she thinks this is foolish. Wherever the Jews go, Annette goes too. She obviously takes her job seriously and wants to help these people. She also does it because she cares.
Annette works numerously because she doesn’t want to give up on these people, including the children. She is over working herself. It’s hard for her to rest without thinking about the children. The Jews aren’t getting any comfort, or hardly being fed. The officers are letting them dehydrate. Annette knows this is wrong, and she explains that these are human beings, but the officers choose to ignore it. They are either cowards or they are just mean. Annette’s not alone though. A lot of people in France thought this was completely ridiculous. A lot of good people did what they could to help.
Firemen show up at Velodrome d’Hiver and give the Jews drinking water. The Jews highly appreciate the firemen for what they’ve done and the firemen are happy to help. The Jews also show their love for the firemen. The firemen help sneak letters for the Jews as well. The firemen see that these are good people and anyone who is as kind hearted as them don’t deserve to be prisoners.
There’s one Jew Annette develops a close relationship with. Nono is a four year old boy and his mother was the late Bella Zygler, the pregnant woman. Bella died of haemorrhage, but Nono doesn’t know that. Annette doesn’t have the heart to tell Nono that he doesn’t have a mother anymore. Nono’s mother is everything to him and Annette’s afraid that knowing the truth will break his little heart.
Annette also becomes close with a Jewish doctor, David Scheinbaum. I think she might be in love with him because of how good of a man he is. They both have a lot in common, carrying for children for one, and they both care for the lives of others. Because he is Jewish, David Scheinbaum is a prisoner like everyone else. Scheinbaum is the only doctor treating the Jews. He has Annette, and the other nurses to help him, but he needs more doctors too. A lot of doctors volunteer to help, but Nazis won’t let them.
Adele Exarchopoulos was a run away Jew before she played the lead in the powerful love story, “Blue is the Warmest Color”. Her part isn’t that big. She only has a few scenes in “La Rafle”. Adele’s character, Hannah, doesn’t wear a star on her clothes because she doesn’t want people to know she’s a Jew. She does it just to blend in. When the Jews are rounded up, she tries to make a run for it, but gets caught. She manages to escape though with the help of some people. Hannah’s mother, Dina, and sister, Anna, were rounded up and are now at Beaune-la-Rolande internment camp. The last time you see Hannah, she is being sneaky around the area, delivering snacks and sending a message to Dina that she is alright. Hannah existed and her mother and sister never got rounded up with the other Jews in real life. All three of them made a run for it and hid in Limoges with the father/husband.
“La Rafle” also has scenes with Hitler and his friends and they are enjoying life by drinking and eating cake, it’s like looking at the life of rich snobs. It’s unfair. The Jews get treated like they don’t matter, while the Nazis live life happily. They deserve to rot and they do in the end.
Jo Weismann’s father, Schmuel, was very calm about things. He believed things would lighten up, and as long as he has his family that’s all that matters. His daughter, Sura, knew something bad would happen after the country was banning everything for Jews. She tried to warn her family, but they didn’t listen and she is upset about that. An officer is being mean to Jo, and hits him. Schmuel won’t stand for this. That was a real eye opener for Schmuel. Now Schmuel has regret for not listening to Sura. He feels he didn’t do his job at protected his family. Jo tells Schmuel not to beat himself up. It makes Jo sad that his father would think he is no good. Schmuel is a good father to him, and he could never blame him for anything.
The officer that slapped Jo Weismann was played by Denis Menochet, best known for movies like “Inglorious Basterds” and “Grand Central”. His character I really hated because of how mean he is, but from the looks of it, somewhere within him there is regret. Still he doesn’t do anything to help, he just chooses to let his bad side take over.
Another officer I really hate is the one who intrudes the Weismanns' home. He’s the type of guy you just want to smack in the face. He has these strange looks on his face and is a huge dick.
Things get peaceful for a little. Everyone dances to nice music. Renee, who I explained earlier is Hannah’s younger sister, was interested in having a dance with Jo, and Jo was a little shy to go over to her. He wanted to dance with Renee, but another boy stepped in before he had a chance. Both Jo, and Renee are young, but love can come early in some people’s lives. Renee rather be dancing with Jo, and she can’t take her eyes away from him as she is dancing with another boy. It sucks that Jo never got to dance with Renee.
Peaceful things never last in that area. The adults get separated from the children, get deported and everyone is heartbroken, except for the officers and the Nazis. Nazis are evil and the French Officers are their puppets. They won’t listen to reason. They don’t listen at all. They were really cruel to the Jews. The Officers were stealing personal belongings from Jews, they were hitting the Jews, threatening to shoot them, they were also taking away their sanity, making them look like a bunch a bums because they weren’t bathed properly and forcing them to their deaths! It’s disgusting! All those officers deserved to be hanged!
Annette tries to stop this, but she is outnumbered. The Sergeant has his men get Annette out of the way. Annette is thinking this is madness. Sergeant keeps informing Annette that the children will be reunited with the parents later, but we know that’s not true. The parents were sent to a death camp where they were murdered in gas chambers. As soon as those Jews were rounded up, you knew how things were going to end for them.
Jo Weismann is very sad to see his whole family being taken away. This breaks his heart. Jo and his father wave to each other as if they are never going to see each other again. A lot of Jewish people who lived through those dark days always say “people they knew would be taken away and you would never see them again”. It’s so upsetting to see all those people taken away like that. What did they ever do to deserve this? Nothing that’s what! Jo’s mother, Sura, couldn’t stand being separated from her son. It really devastated her. Sura started off as this beautiful bright of joy, but now she looks like she belongs in a mental institution. Like I said these officers are taking away everything from these people and making them miserable.
Jo Weismann knows him, and his friends shouldn’t stick around. He has had enough. The children’s families were taken away, and they don’t have much, except for the money that was left behind for them. Jo was happy as long as he was with his family. He loved his family very much, but now the only thing that matters to him is gone, which has made him feel empty. Jo has also lost hope. My dad says a lot of Jews lost their faith after what they went through, and lost in those days.
The last thing Sura told Jo was to escape. She wants nothing to happen to her boy except for him to live, and be free. Jo wants his friend, and Nono to go with him, but the friend can’t travel in his condition. Another boy goes with Jo, and the others stall while they escape. Annette is aware about it, and she understands. The Nazis, and French Officers have taken away so much from him, making him a sad boy.
The next day, the children are to be transferred. Annette passes out because she is ill. She is being treated, but she really wants to be with the children. Annette thought that there could be hope for these people by the time the war was over, but a doctor tells her that all the Jews are to be executed. Annette has never heard of anything so terrible. To learn that those good people’s fate is death. Dr. David Scheinbaum, the Weismann family, the Traubes, they’re all dead. Now they are sending the children to their doom. This is the lowest Annette has felt. Annette can’t let this happen. Annette tries to stop it, but by the time she arrives at the train station, she is too late. The train has already left. Annette feels like a failure. It angers me seeing all those officers acting like it’s no big deal. How could they live with themselves?! I hate them so much!
I did say “La Rafle” doesn’t show death, but still I can imagine those pore people getting killed. It's disappointing knowing those innocent lives had to die. It’s also sad, but this is history. The Jews only wanted to live in peace, and those bastards gave them away to the Nazis. The Jews didn’t even rest in peace. They suffered horrible deaths in those gas chambers, and then the bodies were burned to ash, as if they were nothing. No proper burial or stone grave to honor them, just ashes. They also died miserably.
The ending to the movie is also the end of the war, and Annette is glad it’s over, and that a lot of Jews managed to survive, but she wishes she could have done more. World War II was a cruel time. Some of the worst years of your life. Even though the worst is over, still there is a lot of painful memories that’ll be hard to forget. So much went on during the second World War, not just for the soldiers who fought for their country, but also the victims who were killed or had to witness others being murdered just because they were different. There is also the pain of loss of the ones you loved.
Annette is working at the Hotel Lutetia where people are looking for Jew survivors, and nursing them back to health. Annette feels for the people who are looking at the pictures of the ones they lost. Almost all those Jews Annette knew are gone, including the children……..but not Jo. Jo goes to see Annette, and seeing him is the happiest she has felt in a while. It’s good to be seeing his sweet face again. It’s also good to know he’s alive. Jo lost all of his family, and friends. Annette’s the only friend he has left. Jo loves Annette for having a heart of gold. It’s an emotional moment for both of them because they have been through the same experience. Jo, and Annette catch up on a few things. Jo has been adopted by nice people he met while he was traveling, and Annette is happy for him. Jo leaves, but he will keep in contact with Annette.
Something catches Annette’s eye. Someone is looking for a woman, and Annette recognizes the woman in the picture. It’s Nono’s mother. Nono fell out of the train, and was found by people who wanted to help him. We know Nono will never see his mother again because she is gone, like so many others, but for three years he still believed he would see her again.
Annette thought Nono was killed, and when he was taken away, along with the other kids, it was like she had lost her own son. Seeing Nono alive is a blessing for Annette because she loves him. Nono doesn’t show much on his face. He was never the shy type before. I guess not seeing his mother for a while has brought his hopes down. She was everything to him. Plus his brother is dead. He still has two siblings still alive, an older sister, and a baby brother. I believe the feeling of happiness is reborn in Nono when he is reunited with Annette. Nono was looking for his mother, but finding Annette is good enough for him because she has earned a place in his heart after looking after him. I believe Annette will be Nono’s new mom.
“La Rafle” ends the way it began with a carousel. Jo Weismann wasn’t allowed to go on that ride because it was forbidden for Jews. He saw other people having fun around that area. Now that the war is over, and the Nazis aren’t in charge, Jo can go anywhere he pleases. But what good is it if his family isn’t with him. Jo loved his family very much, and although he has found a new family, still nothing can replace the family he had or take them away from his memories. Jo’s eyes look teary at the end. I look deep within those eyes, and it makes me want to cry. I can only imagine how deeply he misses his family.
It is mentioned at the end that a lot of Jewish people were able to hide during the round up thanks to a lot of friendly French people. It’s nice to know that there was a lot of carrying hearts in France who knew what was right.
Dr. David Scheinbaum kept saying the men responsible for the crime against the Jews will pay for this, and that the Nazis would never succeed, and he was right. It’s too bad he wasn’t around to see it. General Charles de Gaulle, a former army officer turned statesman managed to help France turn against Nazi Germany, and had both Marshall Phillippe Pertain, and Prime Minister Pierre Laval trialed for treason, and betraying their country. Philippe Pertain sentence was going to be death, but because of his service during World War I, and his age that changed to life in prison. I don’t care if he is a war veteran or not, he betrayed his country, and the people he was supposed to protect from the enemy. A lot of those Jews were war veterans too, including Schmuel. They didn’t die in battle, but they were killed by the enemy. Pierre Laval tried to flee to Spain, but was deported back to France where he was executed for his crimes.
My rating on “La Rafle” is four and a half out of five stars.
