February marks the first anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Director Leon Prudovsky, who was born in St. Petersburg, does not doubt that the war that has been raging ever since should end in the complete defeat of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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"Russia needs to be divided into small states, just like the US and India," he suggested. "Its territory is enormous, and the millions of citizens who do not live in the central region pretty much live in garbage. Entire villages are without electricity; the state has simply abandoned them.
"In my opinion, control in Russia should not only be conducted from one place that only cares about itself. Changing this can save Russia, otherwise, it might become a fascist and totalitarian state."
Prudovsky, 44, who has been living in France in recent years, said that the Russian propaganda about the war in Ukraine completely shocked him and prompted introspection. As someone who grew up in Russia and immigrated to Israel as a teenager, he said he only realized in retrospect how Russian education deceived him.
"Looking back, I analyzed my years in Russia, and it deeply unsettled me. There are many things that I grew up with, and today I understand that they are lies that were planted in my head, as a form of manipulation and propaganda."
Q: Like what?
"It really bothers me that talented people gave up their freedom to live in Russia, the ability of the citizen to speak his or her mind. This warrants serious criticism. It's very hard."
Whether aware of it or not, Prudovsky's feelings regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine greatly affected his new film "My Neighbor Adolf," which premiered in January.
It was screened at prestigious film festivals in Israel and Switzerland and was written in collaboration with screenwriter Dmitry Malinsky. It takes place in a remote town in 1960 South America, where Holocaust survivor Mr. Polsky, launches an investigation after he is convinced that the person who moved in next to him is none other than Adolf Hitler.
Mr. Polsky is portrayed by Scottish actor David Hayman ("Taboo," "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas") and Mr. Herzog – who is suspected of being Hitler – by German actor Udo Kier ("Breaking the Waves," "Melancholia").
The film follows the complex – and sometimes surprising – relationship that the two neighbors develop slowly and centers on the subjects of memory, revenge, and moral responsibility as well as empathy, forgiveness, and willingness to reconcile in the face of shared tragedies.
Q: Your film is also relevant to modern times, with millions of Ukrainians have become refugees. What would you say about Israel's approach to the conflict?
"It's complicated. Israel does not have a clear immigration policy alongside the Law of Return. I believe that we have not done enough on the issue of Ukrainian refugees, but there is also conflict. There is a feeling that Israel is between the East and the West, a type of European country located in the Middle East – and therefore we are more inclined to fear Putin and think that he has real political power. Such belief strengthens him."
Q: Fear is a central motive in human behavior, and in your film as well.
"Absolutely. My film talks about something that will always remain – enmity between people. We exploit it for conflicts. After all, it would be difficult to shoot someone we know and love, but not someone we think is threatening us.
"Unfortunately, hatred of the other will always remain. You can say that this is exactly what happened with Polsky. He is motivated by hatred, demonization, and pain, and also by a desire to take revenge for what the Germans did to him and his family."
Q: In your film, Polsky begins to connect with his neighbor precisely as a result of trying to prove he was Hitler. What were you trying to say here?
"It's an accurate allegory about what happens when you get to know the enemy and find out that he's not necessarily what you imagined him to be. He is a human being with feelings and disappointments.
"It's awfully hard to hate someone you know, and once people get to know each other, the hatred might disappear. Polsky wondered if he was wrong about his neighbor, and he realized that there is also the possibility that he is not a bad person at all."
Usually when thinking about a Holocaust movie, one imagines a long, heavy, horror-filed piece depicting what Jews went through during the war. In this sense, "My neighbor Adolf" breaks away from tradition, and has quite a few comical touches to it.
One cannot help but immediately think of Roberto Benigni's 1997 masterpiece "Life Is Beautiful" which tells the story of a father who employs his fertile imagination to shield his son from the horrors of internment in a Nazi concentration camp.
"I guess humor is part of my self-defense mechanism. Unlike handling things dramatically, when you laugh – it's more challenging and complex," Prudovsky said. "You have to feel the strings of the instrument you're playing, feel the viewer. When you tell someone something serious and important, if you do not smile or laugh, and don't decrease the pressure, it will be more difficult for him to connect.
"Laughing brings down all my defenses. I and the viewers enter into a kind of dance of laughter, and that's how an understanding of a specific moment is created between us. It's an amazing feeling, which in a way gives you wings. I always try to expand the viewers' minds to talk about something serious while laughing. It's something that connects."
Q: Aren't you afraid that some might think that bringing humor into the subject of the Holocaust might be improper?
"For sure there will be those who say that but I didn't mean to offend anyone, and anything can offend someone looking to be offended."
Q: It's hard to miss your criticism of Israel in the film, for example, how dismissive the Israeli representatives who met with Polsky were.
"I don't have a problem with stinging, but I don't think this film does that, it is more of a hug. The representative [portrayed by Kineret Peled] shows this Israeliness, but the film had to have comedic moments, something a little crazy because it talks about something very important – which is a part of all of us. The hostility, the friendship, the love, the hatred, and the post-trauma are things that always exist in us. I think it's good that it exists, this satire."
Prudovsky got the idea for the movie 12 years ago when he returned to Israel from a film festival in Brazil. He later shared his experience with Malinsky, who suggested Prudovsky write an alternative story, where Hitler survives the war and escapes to South America.
Initially, Prudovsky was not thrilled with the idea but said it stayed with him. Among other things, he wondered how his grandmother – a Holocaust survivor – would have reacted had the person who moved in next to her been Hitler.
"It just grabbed me, how she, with all her hatred for the Germans and everything related to them, would behave and experience the matter. We wanted to write about a man who demonized his neighbor very strongly, and then see what happens when he suddenly gets to know him. When he suddenly realizes that maybe actually, the demon is not that bad."
Q: On the set, there were six languages spoken, including English, Yiddish, and Hebrew. How did that go?
"It was an amazing experience, with great people from all over the world. When I arrived on the first day at the set in Colombia, I started crying and was in tears. After so many years of writing and preparation, suddenly this thing, which I dreamed about for so long, came to be."
Q: And how did you get along with the main actors? They all come from different cultures and speak different languages.
"They are both over 70 years old, but they are so different from one another. David is a great actor. The role of Polsky was very important to him, but he was nervous and wasn't sure if I knew what I was doing. It was very difficult for him.
"Udo, on the other hand, was not nervous at all. He had already done hundreds of roles in his life, and worked with some of the most respected directors in the world – including Gus Van Sant, Lars von Trier, and the Oscar winner Alexander Payne – but he was also difficult to work with because he is a Hollywood star. It creates all kinds of very challenging situations."
Q: Like what?
"As a director, I expected both of them to come and fight by my side for the film, but it was difficult. With each of them, there were different moments. David told me that at first, he did not tolerate me at all! With Udo, there was a very interesting situation: we shot a scene that was very important to him, and then he went to the corner. Suddenly David came to me angrily and said Udo is upset with me because I didn't support him enough.
"I talked to Udo, and then he said to me, 'I'll do what you say, but you know that either you're completely crazy, and the film will be a crazy flop, or you're a genius that I can't understand.'"
Like the entire world, and the film industry in particular, the production of "My neighbor Adolf" was also greatly affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Although filming in South America ended shortly before the outbreak of the epidemic, Prudovsky, who has been living in Paris for the past four years, suddenly found himself editing the film alone.
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"We finished filming shortly before the first lockdown, and I was actually stuck in France. My daughter had just been born. I used to come to Israel at least once a month, but then the lockdown started – and the connection between me and the editor was cut off. For several months, I edited the film at night, by myself, and it was very difficult. I'm one of those who believe that you always need another point of view and another pair of eyes. The whole editing process took a year and a half. The producer was also stuck in Israel, with a disconnection that caused many difficulties. In short, everything took a lot of time."
Q: Did it affect the final result?
"No, the opposite actually. I think in the end, it actually benefitted. The film turned out to be more complex and challenging than I imagined, with the right amount of laughter and tragedy. I'm usually a person who is not satisfied with anything, but I came away very satisfied with this thing."
Q: The film received, among other things, a budget from the state. In your opinion, if it were produced today, would the new government support it?
"Definitely. I think the state should support Israeli culture, even if it doesn't appeal to the general public. In general, there is very little desire to silence people in Israel, in contrast to the situation I see in Russia, which is turning into a dictatorship. Creators are silenced there, and this is something that is unacceptable in my opinion. It is impossible to silence people, because the more you silence them, the more it will eventually explode. We must speak up."
