The Counterfeiters - 2007

The Counterfeiters is the true story of the largest counterfeiting operation in history, set up by the Nazis in 1936. Salomon "Sally" Sorowitsch is the king of counterfeiters. He lives a mischievous life of cards, booze, and women in Berlin during the Nazi-era. Suddenly his luck runs dry when arrested by Superintendent Friedrich Herzog. Immediately thrown into the Mauthausen concentration camp, Salomon exhibits exceptional skills there and is soon transferred to the upgraded camp of Sachsenhausen. Upon his arrival, he once again comes face to face with Herzog, who is there on a secret mission. Hand-picked for his unique skill, Salomon and a group of professionals are forced to produce fake foreign currency under the program Operation Bernhard. The team, which also includes detainee Adolf Burger, is given luxury barracks for their assistance. But while Salomon attempts to weaken the economy of Germany's allied opponents, Adolf refuses to use his skills for Nazi profit and would like to do something to stop Operation Bernhard's aid to the war effort. Faced with a moral dilemma, Salomon must decide whether his actions, which could prolong the war and risk the lives of fellow prisoners, are ultimately the right ones.

Das Experiment - 2001

Das Experiment (English: The Experiment) is a 2001 German film directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, about a social experiment, based on Mario Giordano's novel Black Box, which resembles Philip Zimbardo's Stanford prison experiment of 1971. When I saw this film in a movie theater I recall the palms of my hands sweating due to the suspenseful nature of it. The film was inspired by the events of the Stanford prison experiment in the US. It is based on the novel Black Box by Mario Giordano.


In a newspaper advertisement, taxi driver Tarek Fahd discovers an invitation to participate in an experiment. 4000 German marks are offered to the participants of the experiment, in which a prison situation is simulated. The experiment is led by Professor Klaus Thon and his assistant, Dr. Jutta Grimm.


Tarek participates as a journalist while wearing a pair of glasses with a built-in mini-camera. Tarek has a car accident shortly before the experiment, after which he meets a woman called Dora. She spends the night with him and Tarek keeps thinking of her, shown in flashbacks. The 20 volunteers are pronounced guards and prisoners and are being observed by a team of scientists. The prisoners lose their civil rights and have to obey certain rules, such as completely eating their meals. The guards are given nightsticks but are told not to use violence in any case. Each prisoner’s name is taken away and replaced by a number. Tarek (prisoner number. 77) initially refuses to acknowledge the guards' superiority, by drinking the milk of his co-prisoners because of his lactose intolerance or by throwing his blanket out of his cell to provoke the guards. He befriends his cellmates, Steinhoff and Schütte. Psychological changes develop and the situation becomes a serious matter. The circumstances seem to be escalating after a few days. It becomes clear that certain limits are not just being reached but even surpassed.

Character - 1997

Netflix recommended this film to me based on my love of another and I was pleasantly surprised. Winner of the 1998 Best Foreign Language Film and filmed beautifully this Dutch-Belgian film definitely is one I would watch again.

Dreverhaven (Jan Decleir), the city's most feared bailiff, is discovered with a knife through his heart, and a young, self-taught lawyer (Fedja van Huet) who just passed his exams was the last person to see the man alive. But what was his connection to the dead man? The police are mighty interested to know, and the young barrister is ready to tell the story of a lifetime.

J.W. Katadreuffe is the son of Joba Katadreuffe and A.B. Drevenhaven. Though fully neglected by Joba, Dreverhaven ensures the succesfull career of his son. Mostly unseen, though he sues his son a few times. The son Katadreuffe succeeds, but at great costs.

Joba: Why don't you leave our boy in peace?
Dreverhaven: I'll strangle him for nine-tenths, and the last tenth will make him strong.

Irreversible - 2002

I watched this film last year because I am a fan of Vincent Cassel and he is amazing in this. A vast mojority of the dialogue is improvised and the cast is awesome. But this is one of those movies that once you see it, you never forget it. Told in reverse this movie will make you angry and sad and feeling dirty.

This French thriller chronicles the unspeakable horror of rape and the aftermath of revenge. When a woman is brutally violated, her angered boyfriend and ex-boyfriend team up to track down the rapist and take justice into their own hands. Albert Dupontel, Vincent Cassel and Monica Bellucci star, and Gaspar Noé (I Stand Alone) directs. Nominated for the Golden Palm Award at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.

It is violent, dark, disturbing, depressing, and honest.