‘Mr. Kaplan‘ (2014) directed by Alvaro Brechner is, I think, the second Uruguayan film I’ve ever seen. It enjoyed success in Latin America and Germany, and represented Uruguay in the competition for best foreign film at the 2015 Academy Awards. The film belongs the genre of films about Holocaust survivors, a genre that evolves over time as the last survivors leave this world, and the perspective of the filmmakers becomes either that of the descendants of the survivors or of the new generations trying to understand this huge historical aberration of the 20th century and its aftermath. Director Álvaro Brechner descends from a family of Holocaust survivors settled in South America and ‘Mr. Kaplan‘ is inspired by the figure of his grandfather, but the film also deals with another broad issue bringing up old age and what gives meaning to life until the final years. The comic and slightly melodramatic register of the script and of the directorial approach does not prevent the emphasising of the message, on the contrary, it amplifies its impact.
The story takes place in Uruguay at the end of 90s. Jacobo Kaplan (Héctor Noguera) is getting old. Age catches up with him, memory and sight begin to show signs of rust, routine dominates his marriage that has lasted for over 50 years, and his life is dominated by the feeling that he failed to live up to the hopes of his parents who had sent him as a young Jewish boy to the shore of salvation in South America to escape the fate of the other Jews who perished in the Holocaust in Europe. Coincidentally, he learns about the existence of Julius Reich (Rolf Becker), an old and lonely man of German origin, with a behavior that seems to hide dark secrets. Could he be a Nazi criminal taking refuge in South America after World War II? If true, discovering his secrets and bringing him to justice would ultimately give meaning to a life that seems otherwise underachieved. Maybe it’s not too late. Together with Wilson Contreras (Néstor Guzzini), a former alcoholic cop, the archetype of the living loser from many points of view (personal, family), Jacopo Kaplan plans an operation like the one that many decades ago led to the capture of Adolph Eichmann and his transfer in Israel to be brought to justice. The reality turns out to be a little different from the one imagined by the hero, and the well-drawn plans will lead to complications and comic confusions, but also to the revelation of some truths that are not easy to reconcile.
I liked the bittersweet approach. Something of the specific Jewish humor, a mixture of sad laughter, self-persiflage and optimism without which it is impossible to get past the small and big troubles of life are mixed in the character played wonderfully by Héctor Noguera. I’ve seen quite a few movies in recent years dedicated to the problems of old age, ‘Mr. Kaplan‘ can be added, in a style that combines melodrama and comedy. I loved the performance of Néstor Guzzini in the role of a typical ‘loser’ who receives a life lesson and borrows strength from the old Jew. The social environment of Jewish families in South America is portrayed with a delicate but sarcastic humor, reminiscent of Woody Allen‘s New York movies. Without completely avoiding clichés ‘Mr. Kaplan‘ is a more than reasonable cinematic experience, a film that manages to amuse and create emotion for its viewers.