The Flat

Name: The Flat
Genre: Documentary
Released: October 12, 2012
Duration: 97 min
Rating: 83

2012

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Universal acclaim based on 14 Critic Reviews

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Universal acclaim based on 14 Ratings

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8.2

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8.2	User Score Universal acclaim based on 14 Ratings

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The Flat

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Movie Details & Credits

IFC Films | Release Date: October 12, 2012 | Not Rated

Summary: The flat on the third floor of a Bauhaus building in Tel Aviv was where my grandparents lived since they immigrated to Palestine in the 1930's. Were it not for the view from the windows, one might have thought that the flat was in Berlin. When my grandmother passed away at the age of 98 we were called to the flat to clear out what was left.The flat on the third floor of a Bauhaus building in Tel Aviv was where my grandparents lived since they immigrated to Palestine in the 1930's. Were it not for the view from the windows, one might have thought that the flat was in Berlin. When my grandmother passed away at the age of 98 we were called to the flat to clear out what was left. Objects, pictures, letters and documents awaited us, revealing traces of a troubled and unknown past. The film which begins with the emptying out of a flat develops into a riveting adventure, involving unexpected national interests, a friendship that crosses enemy lines, and deeply repressed family emotions. And even reveals some secrets that should have probably remained untold. (Sundance Selects)… Expand

Director: Arnon Goldfinger

Genre(s): Documentary

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 97 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Leba Hertz

Nov 1, 2012

The movie feels more like a thriller and a mystery than a documentary. Perhaps someday, someone will be inspired to dramatize this astonishing story. Read full review

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Nov 28, 2012

I will salute the deftness and intelligence with which Goldfinger observes the reactions of the living to the revelations of the dead. Read full review

Jeannette Catsoulis

Oct 18, 2012

A film that begins as a family quest but evolves into a gripping study of know-don't-tell reticence and the umbilical tie of a lost homeland. Read full review

Peter Rainer

Oct 26, 2012

Goldfinger happened upon a story far larger than he must have anticipated. The Flat is about the persistence of denial, and of hope. Read full review

Kenneth Turan

Oct 25, 2012

No definitive answers are possible to the questions The Flat raises, which makes them all the more provocative. Read full review

Elizabeth Weitzman

Oct 18, 2012

Ultimately, this is not a film about one specific event but about human nature - most notably, the instincts toward denial and delusion, acceptance and forgiveness. From start to finish, revelations abound. Read full review

Andrew Schenker

Oct 16, 2012

The Flat details his efforts to understand this unusual situation, and although the film suggests that his relatives may have maintained this odd friendship as a denial of their homeland's betrayals, there's only so deep Goldfinger can dig. Read full review

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User Reviews

amboy

Dec 25, 2012

The finest film of the year. Neither a documentary nor a fiction film, it charts the discovery of an odd relationship between a Nazi and a Zionist by their descendants. Gradually, it reveals what it means to live in history--what you ignore, forget, what you do to survive. It's a muchThe finest film of the year. Neither a documentary nor a fiction film, it charts the discovery of an odd relationship between a Nazi and a Zionist by their descendants. Gradually, it reveals what it means to live in history--what you ignore, forget, what you do to survive. It's a much more personal film than Shoah and The Sorrow and the Pity, but it's as meaningful and moving. It must be seen.… Expand

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