The Shop on Main Street

In a small town in Nazi-occupied Slovakia during World War II, decent but timid carpenter Tono (Jozef Kroner) is named "Aryan comptroller" of a button store owned by an old Jewish widow, Rozalie. As they gradually befriend each other, Tono wrestles with greed and guilt when the authorities order all Jews in town to be rounded up. Ida Kamińska lends warmth as Rozalie, every twitch caught by the lens, while directors Kadár and Klos favour steady shots and rising moral torque that culminates in a devastating end.