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Enemies, A Love Story

1989, Movie, R, 119 mins

Enemies, A Love Story: Review

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An adaptation of Isaac Bashevis Singer's novel by director-cowriter Paul Mazursky (MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON; DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS), ENEMIES, A LOVE STORY stars Ron Silver as Herman, a Jew who survived the Holocaust because his family's Catholic Polish servant, Yadwiga (Margaret Sophie Stein), helped him hide from the Nazis. Believing his own wife to have died, Herman marries Yadwiga out of gratitude and settles with her in Coney Island after the war. When his mistress, Masha (Lena Olin), another Holocaust survivor, becomes pregnant, he marries her as well, but does not divorce Yadwiga (whose union with Herman is not recognized by his religion). Things get even more complicated when first wife Tamara (Angelica Huston) arrives on the scene, alive and well. Despite its fine performances from the ensemble cast and its flawless production values, ENEMIES, A LOVE STORY remains frustrating and inaccessible. In bringing to the screen Singer's tale of how a group of Holocaust survivors succeed or fail in living with their pasts, Mazursky and cowriter Roger L. Simon refrain from treating the darkly comic material boldly, and the results are more admirable than they are enjoyable or engrossing. An exercise in artistic restraint rather than affirmation, the film is more likely to engender respect for its source and subject than to move audiences on its own. Swedish actress Olin, however, who was so impressive in THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING, again excells here, bringing a dark passion to her role. She was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress for her role, as was Huston. The film's screenplay also earned an Oscar nomination. leave a comment
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