The Performance

Directed by Shira Piven

Adapted from an Arthur Miller short story, Shira Piven’s stylish and darkly beguiling film follows an American tap-dancing troupe, struggling to make ends meet, on a tour of Europe in 1937. 

The leader, Harold May, accepts a lucrative invitation for the group to perform in Nazi Berlin. It turns out that the star guest in the audience is Adolf Hitler, who loves the show and insists they should stay in Germany. At first, May tries to conceal his Jewishness, but eventually reveals his identity in an effort to escape an even worse fate. 

Robert Carlyle is chillingly convincing as Damian Fugler, a Nazi official, while May’s fellow tap dancers, played by Maimie McCoy, Adam Garcia and Isaac Gryn, bring phenomenal energy to the screen. 

The screening on Tue 19 Nov at 15:15 is a Relaxed event and will be preceded by a short introduction by a member of the HOME team.

 

The UK Jewish Film Festival are operating security measures, including bag searches, at this year’s festival. Please allow a little extra time for this when planning your journey.

Duration:
112 minutes

Languages:
English, German, Hungarian and Yiddish

Subtitles:
Partial English

Country of origin:
Slovakia and USA

Year of production:
2024

This screening has no adverts or trailers and starts at the advertised time

This event is excluded from the HOME Film Pass.