"Fever At Dawn" (2015 release from Hungary; 114 min.) brings the (true) story of Holocaust survivors Miklos and Lili. As the movie opens, it is "Jerusalem, 2014" and we meet an older woman who gives a stack of old letters to a friend. We then go back in time, and get to know Miklos, who just weeks after the end of WWII ends up at a rehabilitation center in Malmo, Sweden, where the doctor diagnoses him with TBC (waking up every morning with a fever--hence the movie's title) and gives him 6 months to live. Miklos is undeterred, and, in a desperate attempt at love, gets a list of 117 Hungarian women from the same home city in Hungary who also are recovering in Sweden. A few respond, but in particular the response from Lili draws his attention. At this point we're 10 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this is a retelling of writer-director Peter Gardos' very own parents. This movie is a sober and restrained account of what the world of a Holocaust survivor looked like right after the end of WWII. If you think their troubles were over and life was peachy, think again. There are the many health-related issues of having gone through the Holocaust. Then, as well intended as the Swedes were in taking in these individuals, it came with a surprising amount of restrictions (to the point where the Hungarian Jews were not allowed to leave a particular area of town). The movie's photography is in color for the scenes in the present day, and B&W for the 1940s scenes. The movie also contains historical footage of the Holocaust that is not for children. If I have a criticism of the movie, it feels quite static and stage-like, as if watching a play at times. That, combined with its almost 2 hr. running time, make it a tough challenge at times.
I recently saw this movie at the 2017 Jewish & Israeli Film Festival here in Cincinnati. Per the usual, the organizing committee has done an excellent job putting together a great schedule, so kudos to them. Meanwhile, if you are in the mood for a sober account of what life for Holocaust survivors was like right after WWII, this movie will fill in nicely.
