The Forger (2023)
78%RT Audience Score: 80%
Awards & Nominations: NA
Maggie Peren’s The Forger is a film that takes a standard crime drama and turns it on its head, creating a story with much more at stake than just getting rich. The film’s protagonist, Cioma Schönhaus, is a clever and cocky kid who becomes a hero almost by accident, and the film’s focus on his daily life and his best friend never strays from sobriety. While there are attempts to create an emotionally resonant atmosphere towards the end, the storytelling struggles to construct an engaging portrait. However, the clashes between tone and setting create a sense of detachment that proves very effective, and Hofmann’s performance as Cioma is both courageous and charming. Overall, The Forger is a clever and casual film that is frustratingly underwhelming at times, but ultimately worth the watch.
“The Forger” is a film about a guy who fakes documents during the Holocaust, but don’t worry, it’s not as depressing as it sounds! Critics seem to be split on whether or not the movie is emotionally engaging, but they all agree that the lead actor, August Diehl, is charming and courageous. The director, Maggie Peren, takes a risk by making the tone of the film more casual, which some critics found effective and others found frustrating. Overall, “The Forger” is a clever crime drama with a unique twist and a hero you can root for.
Production Company(ies)
Limp
Distributor
Kino Lorber
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2023
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:NA
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Runtime:1h 56m
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Language(s):
-
Country of origin:United States
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Release date:NA
Genre(s)
History/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Louis Hofmann, Jonathan Berlin, Luna Wedler, Nina Gummich, André Jung, Marc Limpach, directed by Maggie Peren, written by Maggie Peren, Cioma Schönhaus, genre: History, Drama, Biography, box office performance: $58.3K, budget: unknown, reviewed by Noel Murray, Monica Castillo, Natalia Winkelman, Daniel M. Kimmel, Milagros Amondaray, Ezequiel Boetti, Jeffrey Edalatpour, Andy Klein, Josh Parham, Todd Jorgenson, Dan Mecca, Avi Offer, produced by Alexander Fritzemeyer, Martin Kosok, MPAA rating: unknown, Kino Lorber, Network Movie Film- und Fernsehproduktion GmbH & Co. KG (Hamburg), Arte, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, Amour Fou Filmproduktion, Dreifilm GbR.
Worldwide gross: NA
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): NA
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $7,500,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $7,500,000
Production budget ranking: 1,767
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $4,038,750
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Jonathan Berlin – Det Kassriel
Luna Wedler – Gerda
Nina Gummich – Frau Peters
André Jung – Herr Dietrich
Marc Limpach – Herr Kaufmann
Director – Maggie Peren
Producers – Alexander Fritzemeyer, Martin Kosok
Writers – Maggie Peren, Cioma Schönhaus, Maggie Peren
Director(s)
NA
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
NA
Film Festivals
Berlin, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (19) | Top Critics (3) | Fresh (13) | Rotten (6)
This film is more of a finely detailed character sketch, about a cocky kid who becomes a hero almost by accident.
May 5, 2023
Noel Murray
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
Peren, who wrote and directed “The Forger,” subtly draws out these conflicted characters one by one.
March 3, 2023 | Rating: 3/4
Monica Castillo
RogerEbert.com
TOP CRITIC
Peren is clever to favor mischief against a backdrop of gloom, but in doing so she draws a frustrating distance between her subject and the audience.
March 2, 2023
Natalia Winkelman
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
Perhaps that’s the real message of “The Forger.” It almost didn’t matter what you did under the genocidal regime. Surviving was as much a matter of luck and chance as it was possessing any particular skills or taking any deliberate actions.
May 8, 2023 | Rating: 3/5
Daniel M. Kimmel
North Shore Movies
Peren, also responsible for the script, does not take too many risks when it comes to portraying what his protagonist carried out, and her focus on Cioma’s daily life and his best friend never strays from sobriety. [Full review in Spanish]
March 30, 2023 | Rating: 3/5
Milagros Amondaray
La Nación (Argentina)
That the protagonist never worries about the disappearance of his family could perhaps be interpreted as a characteristic of his personality or a central fault of an excessively debatable script… [Full review in Spanish]
March 29, 2023 | Rating: 2.5/5
Ezequiel Boetti
Otroscines.com
Under normal circumstances, the story of Cioma Schönhaus’ brief career in forgery would be a standard crime drama. But Maggie Peren’s film, The Forger, inverts the genre, with much more at stake than someone pulling off a scheme to get rich.
March 29, 2023
Jeffrey Edalatpour
East Bay Express
A very clever film [about] a very clever guy.
March 21, 2023
Andy Klein
FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)
There is an attempt to fashion a more emotionally resonant atmosphere towards the end, but the storytelling struggles to construct an engaging portrait.
March 9, 2023 | Rating: 5/10
Josh Parham
Next Best Picture
The clashes between tone and setting create a sense of detachment, although Hofmann finds the right mix of courage and charm.
March 4, 2023
Todd Jorgenson
Cinemalogue
There is a casual vibe to The Forger that reflects its hero’s stubborn optimism in the face of very real danger. This informal energy feels incongruous to the content at first, lending an uncomfortableness to this true story that proves very effective.
March 2, 2023 | Rating: B-
Dan Mecca
The Film Stage
Frustratingly underwhelming, tedious, lethargic and anti-climactic.
March 1, 2023
Avi Offer
NYC Movie Guru…
Plot
During WWII, a young Jewish man named Cioma Schönhaus adopts the identity of a marine officer and becomes infamous for his masterfully forged IDs that save the lives of hundreds of Jews by allowing them to escape the country in “The Forger.”
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Rotten Tomatoes doesn’t have anything goofy or funny or odd to say about the film Signed in.
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