When a film is described as poetic or visually stunning it is generally a sign that the film may be lacking in action or a plot of any great consequence. Unfortunately Lore is no exception.

After the Second World War comes to a close a German family is torn apart as their mother and father are sent to prison by the allied forces and the eldest daughter, Lore, is left to lead the 5 children on a harrowing (to say the least!) journey to safety. On the way she encounters a young Jewish man, Thomas, with whom she forms an uneasy alliance. One would have hoped that this character would help our “heroine” see the error of her anti-Semitic, Nazi ways; however Thomas is introduced to us with a minor rape attempt (a theme which reoccurs a surprising amount in this film) and later continues to, shall we say, demonstrate behaviour far from that exhibited by a model citizen. Hence Lore continues, throughout the movie, to be a character with whom I have little sympathy. For this I am not entirely ungrateful however, since the positive, upbeat moments in this film are extremely few and far between and so it was probably good for my mental wellbeing that I did not truly care about the endless misfortune of the central characters.

I can appreciate the set up doesn’t lend itself to a rip-roaring comedy however the 2 hours of oppression where there is barely a moment of relief is a little more than I wanted to take on a Friday evening. Lore is not without its interesting themes, especially relating to the honest portrayal of the turmoil created after the breakdown of law and society; however I believe there is probably a more enjoyable way to spend your time and money in the cinema this week.

words: Toby Collingwood