HUNGARY Jewry

Epic drama which follows five generations of a Hungarian Jewish family from the mid 1800’s to the mid 1900’s. Ralph Fiennes plays three generations of men in the Sonnenschein (“sunshine” in German) family – a grandfather, a father and a son. The film opens in the 1800’s when Emmanuel Sonnenschein immigrates to Austria-Hungary, where he marries, has two sons, and becomes a successful businessman using a family recipe for a distilled beverage. Fiennes first role is as Ignatz, one of these sons, who becomes a successful lawyer. Ignatz eventually marries his adopted sister and assimilates by changing his name and working his way up through government. His brother, a doctor, becomes a Communist and flees.

Eventually, Ignatz has two sons, and one of them, Adam (also played by Fiennes) becomes a doctor. His attempt to assimilate is to convert to Roman Catholicism, as does the woman he marries – and they have a son. Adam is a skilled fencer as well, and he joins the Hungarian army to win a place on its fencing team. He competes and wins an Olympic Gold Medal – but eventually, anti-Semitism reaches Hungary when the Nazis invade. Adam and his family are rooted out as Jews, and Adam faces a horrific death.

After World War II, Adam’s son Ivan (again played by Fiennes) becomes an investigator in the Soviet backed Hungarian government and seeks out ex-Nazis. A disillusioned Ivan becomes active in the 1956 Communist rising and ends up in jail. In each generation, the lead male tries desperately both to assimilate and to change the injustice he sees around him – always with disappointing results. Sunshine follows a century of Jewish Hungarian life, mirroring the experiences of the Hungarian Jewish community through changing times and changing governments. The film presents superb performances by Ralph Fiennes, Rosemary Harris and Jennifer Ehle. Note: Contains sexual situations, some graphic violence and adult language. One torture scene is particularly upsetting to view. Rated R.

3 hrs.  AGE:  17 to Adult