TRAIN TO ZAKOPANÉ -- Movie Review by Porfle

Polish nurse Katia Wampusyk (Tanna Frederick, HOLLYWOOD DREAMS, THE M WORD) claims that she can "smell a Jew a kilometer away." Unfortunately for her, this special sense fails her on the TRAIN TO ZAKOPANÉ (2018) when she meets, and falls in love with, a Russian Jew named Sioma Sapir. And unfortunately for him, he falls in love with her, too.

Adapted from writer-director Henry Jaglom's (CAN SHE BAKE A CHERRY PIE?, BABYFEVER) long-running stage play, which was based on true events that happened to his own father, the story takes place in 1928 Europe just as anti-Semitism is really beginning to heat up and those who practice it most oppressively are rising to power. 

Sharing the same compartment on board the train are Sioma, Katia, eccentric Mme. Nadia Selmeczy (Cathy Arden), and Father Alexandrov (Stephen Howard), who engage in all manner of lively and revealing conversation which, inevitably, gets around to the "Jewish problem."

It's here that Sioma (Mike Falkow, SMOKIN' ACES) learns of Katia's virulent hatred of Jews, which was passed down to her by her father and reinforced by her own experiences and perceptions.

Still, even as she is obviously taken with the handsome young businessman, he improbably finds himself falling for her as well, to the point where they actually leave the train together in the small village of Zakopané and have a torrid romantic fling.

Naturally the viewer will be in suspense throughout their time together, waiting for that other, very large shoe to drop when Katia discovers that her lover (her first, she will confide) is actually a Jew himself. 

But first we must suffer along with Sioma as he agonizes over whether or not to even tell her, weighing the consequences of either decision to the point of madness.

Performances are all quite good, retaining the flavor of Jaglom's play as does his rather stagey direction of the dialogue scenes. This is offset by very sharp editing and staging which often resembles that of an engrossing live television production done in long takes with multiple cameras.

Also helping to open things up considerably are some absolutely gorgeous shots of the train making its way through mountains and tunnels (the black-and-white photography is exquisite) against a backdrop of various wintry panoramas.

For awhile we wonder where the story is going as the lovers' improbable whirlwind romance continues to be overshadowed by Sioma's impending revelation. As for me, I was puzzled by his sudden irresistible attraction to such a flighty, borderline-unlikable character with a penchant for being a silly drunk.

All of this, however, suddenly comes to just the kind of intense dramatic peak we've been waiting for, from a direction that's totally unexpected. So shattering is this surprise development, in fact, that it makes Sioma's admission that he's Jewish seem almost anticlimactic. 

The juxtaposition of stagey dramatic scenes with breathtaking location photography makes TRAIN TO ZAKOPANÉ an intriguing cinematic experience. And I like that Jaglom gives us such a loaded premise, keeps us guessing where it's going, and then hits us with such a resounding payoff that it almost had my ears ringing.