JIFF: The Way To Happiness

The Story

A comedic drama with a cinematic twist.

Saul Birnbaum wants to forget his past. At six years old, young Saul escaped Vienna and the Shoah via Kindertransport, torn away from his parents. Now in Brussels 1986, Saul is on the path to success, a bon vivant, reinventing his life and repressing his past. He has opened a one-of-a-kind cinema-themed deli with cabaret, music and performances nightly. With his protégé — a young Chilean director named Joakin who has fled challenging circumstances under the dictatorship in Chile — Saul decides to write the story of his childhood and make it into a film. As Saul grapples with his past, he meets a mysterious woman, complicating his life further, and forcing him to confront his trauma.

Rating

Unclass15

Duration

112 min

Language

French, German, Yiddish (English subtitles)

Director

Nicolas Steil