Desperate Journey is a film that embarks on many journeys, evokes many predecessors, and mixes tones with little caution. A true story of one man's survival in the most harrowing conditions during World War II demands the right approach and a great deal of confidence to effectively communicate the horrific experience. With Desperate Journey, the result is a small, unconvincing mess whose polish makes it watchable, but also denies it any sense of verisimilitude. Its odd mix of necessary violence and clichéd writing doesn't help this story linger in the memory.
There is little that is unexpected in Desperate Journey, even in its structure. The film opens with a group of Jewish prisoners caught in a bombing raid in Germany in 1945. We meet Freddie Knoller (Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen), who narrates his story in a flashback. In 1938, in his native Vienna, he experienced growing antisemitic hostility as the Nazis prepared to annex Austria.
Director: Annabel Jankel
Writer: Michael Radford
Stars: Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen, Clara Rugaard, Til Schweiger
The period recreations look good, albeit in the style of a high-budget television drama rather than a gritty feature film. The cobblestones and brick buildings look pristine, while Freddie and his family are afflicted by the affected English accents that seem to be standard in these kinds of projects.
Holocaust stories always deserve to be told, but the problem with Desperate Journey is that it doesn't find an interesting hook for Freddie's story. His escape and subsequent survival are remarkable, and not without pain and loss, but the imagery and plot points in Michael Radford's script are borrowed from other films that did it before and better. Freddie's parents (Sienna Guillory and Ed Stoppard) are conflicted about which of their children should flee to America and which should hide locally. It's not exactly Sophie's Choice, but a sense of conflict is introduced where it isn't needed.
A nighttime raid by the SS on Jewish homes evokes scenes of barbarity straight out of The Pianist and Inglourious Basterds, but Desperate Journey doesn't dare to dwell on the resulting bloodshed. Freddie leaves Vienna and heads for his dream city, Paris. Of course, he first has to cross the Alps, where the rolling hills and friendly locals evoke memories of The Grand Illusion and A Hidden Life. Cinematographer Gergely Pohárnok ensures the scenery is always impeccable, although the lighting is sometimes a little too flashy.
Upon arriving in Paris, Freddie finds himself caught up in the elegant, dimly lit salons of the city's red-light district. An extravagant Spanish maître d' (Fernando Guallar) takes the young man under his wing, realizing that his language skills will be useful in selling the clubs' services to newly arrived Nazis. There's more than a touch of Cabaret in the atmosphere, although the character of Christos, played by Guallar, brings a much-needed touch of lightness to the film.
As Freddie continues to hide out in Paris, Desperate Journey becomes something of a Casablanca, complete with a femme fatale (Jacqueline, played by Clara Rugaard), a villainous Nazi officer (Til Schweiger, overacting), and a plot involving secret documents and betrayals. Director Annabel Jankel maintains a steady pace, but the material doesn't offer her the subversion of her earlier work (we're a long way from the psychedelia of 1985's Max Headroom, which she co-directed). Some script decisions constantly threaten to derail her efforts. Desperate Journey frequently intercuts scenes of Freddie's later imprisonment, creating jarring shifts in tone and slowing the narrative pace. The dialogue is riddled with overly modern expressions (was "idiot" a common insult in the 1940s?), while the film's cinematic influences are always lurking in the shadows.
Desperate Journey is undoubtedly ambitious, but what we see on screen seems geared towards a broad, risk-averse audience. It's an exciting story, but with the edges smoothed over. What remains still has some excitement, but it should have gone deeper. Desperate Journey covers the entire journey, from the escape to the hiding place and the capture, but the desperation rarely comes across as convincing.
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