Neither good nor bad, this costume drama was a waste of money. It adds nothing to understanding the era or the issues involved. The Jewish family is characterized as entirely good and the Nazis as wholly wicked. The stereotypes remain throughout and the ending is 100 per cent predictable. The idea that the Axis itself was threatened by the fate of an unknown Michelangelo drawing is utterly absurd and the lengthy business around the exchange of identities between the rich Jewish protagonist and his penniless Aryan opponent is so "staged" that it becomes no longer credible. Altogether this film is a reflection of Austria's indigenous anti-semitism, in that it portrays Jews as unnaturally good and Aryans as wholly bad: a ridiculous idea that should not be tolerated by intelligent audiences. Only a country with a large base of anti-semitism has to be fed this kind of unpleasant propaganda. What Austrian cinema needs is more truth and more understanding, not this kind of predictable play-acting.
Review of My Best Enemy
