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Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe, Derek Jacobi, Ayelet Zurer, Moritz Bleibtreu ... see more see more... , Hanna Laslo , Joachim Król , Juliane Köhler , Idan Alterman , Moni Moshonov , Veronica Ferres , Yevgenia Dudina , Dror Keren , Shmuel Edelman , Jenya Dodina , Vasile Albinet

Author Yoram Kaniuk's celebrated 1971 novel concerning a charismatic yet questionably sane Holocaust survivor comes to the screen in this dark drama starring Jeff Goldblum, Willem Dafoe, and Derek Jac... read more read more...obi. In the years before World War II, Adam Stein (Goldblum) was a Berlin entertainer who thrilled audiences with extravagant circus acts and spectacular magic tricks. Later, when Hitler took power and Europe was plunged into chaos, Stein and his family were locked away in a concentration camp presided over by the sadistic Commandant Klein (Dafoe). The only reason Stein survived those dreadful years was because he managed to become the commandant's personal "dog," entertaining his captors even as his wife and daughter are marched off to die. Flash-forward to 1961, when Stein is a patient at an Israeli mental hospital for Holocaust survivors. Seemingly able to read minds, Stein confounds head doctor Nathan Gross (Jacobi) with the question "Who brought a dog in here?" Despite Gross' vehement denial that any such animal is on the premises, Stein soon tracks the scent to a young boy who has spent his entire youth locked in a basement and chained to a wall. Over time, Stein and the boy see in each other something undeniably familiar, and the two kindred spirits set out on a remarkable journey together. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

45% liked it

773 ratings

Critics

34% liked it

38 critics

R, 1 hr. 47 min.

Directed by: Paul Schrader

Release Date: December 12, 2008

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DVD Release Date: September 22, 2009

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Stats: 129 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (129)

  • ironclad1609
    December 22, 2011
    ironclad1609
    Probably intended as a brave attempt of countering the horrors of WW2 concentration camps with black humor, this does simply not work on any level. The scenes set in a 1960s sanatorium where the Jewish victims have to cope with their past feel arbitrary, random and leave you enti... read morerely confused and uninterested about any of the events. The black and white scenes from the actual concentration camp are slightly better but aren't able to safe this film. Neither does the admittedly decent cast.
    A movie that celebrates survival by any means could and should have been so much stronger, but this is just dull, preachy and artsy crap that leaves you entirely cold.
  • gator681
    August 19, 2010
    gator681
    "Adam Resurrected" starts in Tel Aviv in 1961 where the men in the white suits with butterfly nets come to take Adam Stein(Jeff Goldblum) away to the Seizling Institute, a rehab facility for Holocaust survivors, after he tries to strangle his landlady(Juliane Kohler). While some... read more may have doubts about whether or not he can be cured, Dr. Gross(Derek Jacobi), the head doctor, disagrees and Gina(Ayelet Zurer), a nurse, thinks he is hot for some odd reason. While there, he remembers being a clown and working with his family in Berlin before World War II, while sensing there is a dog in room 285.

    Directed by Paul Schrader, "Adam Resurrected" takes an intriguing psychological angle at the Holocaust, showing that the suffering did not end simply with the liberation of the camps. Adam suffers from a type of survivors' guilt, being dehumanized in his own way. That realistic approach is undercut by elements of magic realism and mysticism. Adam develops odd ailments from which he comes back from the dead, causing at least one fellow patient to think he is the messiah. Why not? They are in the desert, after all. Yes, the movie does come full circle but why so sentimental?
  • wbgoose13
    January 1, 2009
    wbgoose13
    Goldblum proves utterly fascinating in this otherwise bizarre post-Holocaust melodrama.
  • Hellshocked
    May 30, 2010
    Hellshocked
    A gutless screenplay doesn't quite mar what is a genuinely interesting subject matter. Yes, the film is plagued with tonal inconsistencies and often chooses the least interesting way to approach its subject and yet...
  • PinkMinkPrincess
    June 28, 2011
    PinkMinkPrincess
    Before the Holocaust Adam was a Wonderful Magician, during the Holocaust the Cruel Nazi Camp Commandant kept him as his Pet Dog, yep, I said Dog.He has a hard time coming back from that & ends up in a Institution, where he is the life of the Party.There he helps a Young Boy who a... read morelso thinks he is a Dog.This is a Unusual Film that touched me quite Deeply.I will own this Film.
  • jam233
    September 11, 2009
    jam233
    Often unpleasant to watch and overall it is just not an appealing film. There are so many better holocaust films out there, this is too often tedious and seems far longer than its 106 minute length. Jeff Goldblum does well, but his German accent needs work.
  • jrmcm
    January 19, 2009
    jrmcm
    Doesn't drive toward anything meaningful, and loses its way going there. Still, the bizarre story and it's images are memorable, and Jeff Goldblum is as impressive as I've seen him.

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Critic Reviews

Gary Goldstein
December 19, 2008
Gary Goldstein, Los Angeles Times

In a less competitive year, Jeff Goldblum would have had a shot at an Oscar nod. Full Review

Kyle Smith
December 12, 2008
Kyle Smith, New York Post

A semi-unbearable attempt at profundity set in a mental institution 15 years after WWII. Full Review

Stephen Holden
December 12, 2008
Stephen Holden, New York Times

Savage gallows humor might have substituted for pathos. But Adam Resurrected feels so detached that there is not a laugh, nor even a wicked smirk of nihilistic glee, to be gleaned. Full Review

Owen Gleiberman
December 10, 2008
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

The director, Paul Schrader, tries for cleansing audacity, but ends up too close to farce. Full Review

Andrew Sarris
December 10, 2008
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

I can tentatively recommend it if only because there has never been anything like it in the history of cinema as far as I can remember. Full Review

Kirk Honeycutt
September 9, 2008
Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter

You've got to hand it to Schrader: He pulls off enough of this impressionistic comedy to provoke passions and arguments anew about a topic that seems done to death.

Sean Axmaker
September 21, 2009
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com

Director Paul Schrader is too removed from the powerful emotions roiling through the film, but it may be the only way to handle the horrors he's forced to confront. Full Review

Marty Mapes
April 21, 2009
Marty Mapes, Movie Habit

The ending throws away the complexity that makes the rest of the movie so interesting Full Review

Avi Offer
January 31, 2009
Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru

A well-acted, sporadically intriguing drama that has a few poignant moments...but its convoluted, unfocused plot fails to pack an emotional wallop as a whole. Full Review

Robert Roten
January 29, 2009
Robert Roten, Laramie Movie Scope

Goldblum gives a powerful performance in this film. His is one of the best performances by any actor in any film released in 2008. Full Review

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