Jean-Marc Barr as Leopold Kessler in Lars von Trier's Europa Europa is a tale of a young American named Leo who undertakes a journey to US-occupied Germany immediately after the end of World War II. Leo, driven by his youthful naivety, hopes to resuscitate the moribund spirits of the war-torn people of Germany by showering them with some “kindness”, which according to him is "long due". While Leo looks keen in playing an active part in the reconstruction of the nation decimated by the callousness of human ambition, everything about the timing of his infantile decision seems quite ominous. Leo is received by his finicky uncle, a railroad employee, who helps him get the job of a railway conductor.





Europa: Katharina Meets Leopold Leopold and Katharina Share an Intimate Moment On his very first night on the train, Leo meets the irresistible Katharina Hartmann—the daughter of the Zentropa railroad owner, Max Hartmann. Zentropa railroad, once a powerful tool in the Fuhrer’s arsenal, now remains the greatest hope of the US-aided revival of Germany. The once pro-Nazi Hartmann family is now looked upon by the Americans as a great ally in the reconstruction of the German railroad. The war may have been ended but its aftereffects are all-pervasive. The Hartmann family, like any other German family, wants to bury the hatchet, but their pro-Nazi roots continue to haunt them. Leo, bewitched by his infatuation for Katharina, is dragged into the middle of the ongoing tussle between the American forces and pro-Nazi militia known as “Werewolves” as he is forced to choose a side. Leo’s choice would not only decide his fate but also the fate of the ones he love.





A Still from Lars von Trier's Europa A Breathtaking View of a Train Passing Through a Tunnel Most of the movie is shot in black and white with the exception of few scenes which are either in color or in a blend of color and black and white. Europa, with its bizarre, convoluted, agonizing plot and unconventional cinematographic effects like multiple exposure, optical illusions and misdirection, serves to be a completely unique experience that transcends genres and blurs the lines that separate the “real” from the “surreal”. In Europa, Lars von Trier touches upon a wide array of motifs that are not limited to a genre in particular, but encompass the vast expanse of territory that comprises a multitude of genres including film-noir, magic-realism, drama, suspense, and war. In the peculiar manner Lars von Trier etches out Europa’s narrative, one can easily perceive it to be taking place in the subconscious of the protagonist. Europa begins with a voiceover that hypnotically seems to control the actions of the protagonist. At different points in the movie, Leo is mysteriously guided by the eerie voice of the narrator which ironically seems to have a calming influence on his increasingly perturbed senses.





An Optically Modified Sequence from Europa Europa is rife with symbolism and allegory that’s often difficult to comprehend, especially during the first viewing. The tedium of the moving train can be looked upon as the pain and suffering experienced by the German citizens under the Nazi regime. The opportunism shown by the people in exploiting Leo’s largess alludes to the expedient ways of the US-led Allied Powers in tackling the Nazi upsurge. The Allied Powers tolerated the Nazis in the early going hoping that the latter would wipe off communism—a tactical blunder that allowed Hitler and his allies to immensely grow in power ultimately contributing to the Second World War.





Lars von Tier (center) Makes a Brief Appearance in Europa Barbara Sukowa as Katharina Hartmann in Europa Lars von Trier’s Europa has a great assemblage of international actors that includes the likes of Jean-Marc Barr, Barbara Sukowa, Udo Kier, and Eddie Constantine, while veteran Swedish actor Max von Sydow is movie's narrator. Lars von Trier himself makes a brief appearance as the Jew who vouches for Max Hartmann. Almost everyone in the cast manages to leave a lasting impression on the movie. Jean-Marc Barr perfectly fits into the shoes of the naive American youth, Leopold Kessler while Barbara Sukowa as the glacial Katharina Hartmann truly personifies a femme fatale. Undoubtedly, the USP of the movie is Max von Sydow’s voiceover that gives the movie its much desired eerie tone. von Sydow’s hypnotic voice seems to have a similar effect on the protagonist as well as the viewer. As the voice commands Leo to go deeper and deeper into the abyss, we also experience the same magnetic pull that makes us sink deeper and deeper into the movie's narrative as the escape seems impossible.



