Divided We Fall

synopsis

Divided We Fall is set in a small Czech town occupied by German forces during the last years of the Second World War. Josef and Marie C'Zek are a childless couple trying to lead a normal life in the face of Josef's sterility and the chaos of war that surrounds them. One night, Josef has a chance encounter with David Weiner, the Jewish son of his former employer whose family has long since been deported from their town. David is the only surviving member of his family and has recently escaped from a concentration camp. After brief deliberation, Josef decides to give David refuge in his home. To distract the attention of the German authorities and to protect their neighbours from possible reprisals, Josef takes a job with Horst Prohazka, a Nazi collaborator and former colleague and becomes more and more entangled with the representatives of arbitrary rule. To make matters worse, Horst has a romantic interest in Marie and often visits the couple unannounced.