Divided We Fall

Czechoslovakia under Nazi occupation, 1943. The Čížeks, a childless couple, decide to hide David Wiener, the son of the husband's former employer, in the concealed pantry of their flat. Čížek knows exactly what he has brought on his household and his neighbours. He never considers doing otherwise and does not think of it as heroism either; he is simply terrified. As the end of the war approaches his position gets worse, because now he has to fear the Germans and his ostensibly honest neighbours alike. Jan Hřebejk's Czech film tells the occupation from somewhere between comedy and tragedy, and notes that who counts as a collaborator and who as a rescuer changes once the war is over. It was nominated for the foreign language film Oscar in 2001.