Monday November 18, 2024, at the UGC Odéon cinema, Crif organized a preview screening of the film “The Most Precious of Goods” directed by Michel Hazanavicius. This animated film, which takes place in Poland under Nazi occupation, is based on a moving tale by Jean-Claude Grumberg.
Between fiction and reality, the film depicts a story full of light and hope amid the darkness of History. Michel Hazanavicius also speaks about it with these words: “I spoke about it with Grumberg, who told me […] that he just wanted to show that there can be beautiful things in the middle of all this disgusting history. That gave me the key because that’s what moved me when reading his book.”
Intense emotion was palpable from the end of the film.
The public had the privilege of speaking with Michel Hazanavicius and Patrick Sobelman, producer of the film.
On his choice to adapt the tale into an animated film, Michel Hazanavicius specifies that “animation, in relation to actors, does not reconstruct reality. Drawing reinvents reality and has no other life outside of the film. In a certain way, even if we are very far from realism, there is no lie.
The absence of lies perhaps makes more true something which, on the surface, is absolutely unrealistic.”
Michel Hazanavicius created the drawings of all the characters. He set about it, feeling a personal responsibility to participate in the transmission of the Shoah to younger generations and first of all his children. He explained that working on this film was totally different from anything he had done before.
After a question from a spectator asking him why link fiction and reality through a tale and never use the word “Jew” in the film, the director replied that “the strength of a tale, in creating archetypes of humans is that it speaks to everyone, not just Jews. Even if the world is falling apart, we can […] make good choices. The strength of this tale is in this simple idea and I hope that many people can connect with this idea. There is neither the word “Jew” nor the word “Nazi” but I think everyone knows what we are talking about.”
Many viewers have shared the feeling that the strength of this film exists in the suggestion of what happened, thanks to the fact that it is an animated film and that the terms “Jew” and “Nazi” are absent. . This allows everyone to make their own judgment and receive the film at the level they want.
Yonathan Arfi, President of Crif, present during the preview, congratulated the director at the end of the question-and-answer session for his column published in The World in August 2024 titled “Why do I feel like Jews are the coolest haters to hate?” ». The director confides in his feeling “that more and more people have fewer and fewer problems with anti-Semitism” and on the rise of this phenomenon in the world since October 7, 2023.
Pierre-François Veil, President of the Foundation for the Memory of the Shoah was present, alongside the president of Crif.
“The Most Precious of Goods” is an extremely strong and moving film which combines poetry and hope at the heart of History. It will be in theaters from November 20, 2024.
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How did the creative team balance the portrayal of historical realities with the need to convey hope and resilience in “The Most Precious of Goods”?
Interviewer: Thank you both for joining us today. Can you tell us about your experience bringing “The Most Precious of Goods” to life through animation? How did you navigate the challenges of recreating such a dark time in history while still maintaining hope and emotion?
Michel Hazanavicius: It was a real challenge, but also a big responsibility. I wanted to make sure that the film conveyed the right message about hope and resilience even in the face of such darkness. Animation allowed us to create a world that was both imaginative and deeply affecting, without feeling like we were exploiting or commercializing the horrors of the Holocaust. We also had to be careful not to overwhelm the audience with too much reality, which can often be numbing. Instead, the film suggests what happened through the characters and their experiences, allowing viewers to make their own interpretations.
Patrick Sobelman: Absolutely. I believe that animation allowed us to create a universal language that transcends borders and generations. It’s a language that everyone can understand and respond to emotionally. By not using explicit terms like “Jew” or “Nazi,” we allowed the audience to engage with the story on a more personal level and draw their own conclusions about the events depicted. This approach also made it harder for anyone to dismiss the film as “just another Holocaust movie.” It forced them to confront the themes of prejudice and inhumanity in a new way.
Interviewer: The choice to avoid using explicit terms like “Jew” or “Nazi” in the film seems to have had a profound impact on the audience. Can you explain your reasoning behind this decision?
Michel Hazanavicius: As Yonathan mentioned earlier, our goal was to reach as many people as possible with this message. We didn’t want to limit the film to one specific group or community. The story is about humanity as a whole, and by leaving out those terms, we invite everyone to connect with it on their own terms. It’s not about labeling people or reducing them to their ethnicity or religion. It’s about showing that no matter what is happening around us, we always have the power to make good choices and stand up for what’s right.
Yonathan Ar
