MHM Film Club: “Wunderkinder” (2011)

Wunderkinder (2011) 100mins
Directed by Markus Rosenmüller

Markus Rosenmüller’s recent German film Wunderkinder portrays the precarious existence of two young Jewish musical prodigies, pianist Larissa and violinist Abrascha, in Nazi-occupied Ukraine in 1941. The children form a close friendship with Hanna, a young ethnic German girl who is a moderately talented violinist. Together, the children struggle to survive amidst the horrors of war and genocide.

The film navigates the contentious issue of depicting the Nazis’ persecution of Jews alongside German victimhood under Soviet occupation, and is therefore situated within a growing trend in Holocaust cinema, exemplified in works such as Oliver Hirschbiegel’s Downfall (2004), Cate Shortland’s Lore (2012), and Brian Percival’s The Book Thief (2013).

The screening will be followed by a presentation by a guest speaker and an interactive audience discussion.

Many thanks to Umbrella Entertainment (http://www.umbrellaent.com.au/) for making this screening possible.

In partnership with the Centre for Memory, Imagination and Invention (http://www.deakin.edu.au/research/src/cmii/) and the Processes of Signification Faculty Research Group (PSFRG), Deakin University.