Treasure: Father and Daughter Road Trip to Poland

Growing up with my father, a Holocaust survivor, I had always wanted to visit the small town in Austria/Poland where he was born, following in his footsteps as he escaped from the concentration camp. Yet, the more I asked about his past, the more I could see him become increasingly uncomfortable. “Some things are best left unspoken,” my mother said.

That’s why I was fascinated by the movie, “Treasure,” in which a charmingly stubborn father, Edek (actor Stephen Fry) and daughter, Ruth (Lena Dunham) go on a road trip together in 1990s Poland, revisiting his homeland, and exploring his painful past as a Holocaust survivor.

The comedy/drama directly follows a key moment in Polish history: immediately after the Iron Curtain fell, when Jews from all over the world – especially from the U.S. – traveled to Eastern Europe to get to the bottom of their families' legacy. Ruth is one of them.

Director Julia von Heinz deftly adapted poet/novelist Lily Brett’s “Too Many Men,” to create the film, which focuses on the story between father and daughter, two individuals who could not be less alike.

“Edek radiates strength, optimism and humanity and befriends everyone he meets,” von Heinz told Aish.com. “Ruth, however, carries with her the trauma of her parents and encounters Poland, the country of her family's death, with anger and bitterness.”

von Heinz has been reading the acclaimed author’s books since the late 1990’s.

In Treasure, a father and daughter, played by Stephen Fry and Lena Dunham, visit Poland and the camps.

“The first time I read Lily’s work was when my mother gave me one of her books for my 16th birthday. She herself was just like Lily, the daughter of a Jewish survivor and part of that ‘2nd generation’ to which Lily had given a voice.”

While at the time, von Heinz was “still far” from being a filmmaker, she loved Brett’s female characters, who she describes as “funny, complex, and relentless in their self-observation.”

Brett was born in the DP (Displaced Persons) Camp of Feldafing, just a 20-minute car drive away from von Heinz’s hometown in Bavaria. Here, thousands of Polish and Hungarian Jews were brought after they had been evacuated from the death camps Auschwitz-Birkenau and Dachau by the US Army. It is also where Brett’s parents met again after having been separated at the gates of Auschwitz.

It’s no wonder then why the most powerful location for the actors and filmmaking team was spending three days shooting at Auschwitz.

“We took a lot of time for this shoot,” noted von Heinz. “The people from the Memorial offered us tours several days before the shooting. Then, they assisted us in filming at the fence of the Memorial. Auschwitz is a large cemetery that must be respected. We were aware of this at all times. The actors were all deeply affected, as they had family members who were lost in the Holocaust or interned in Auschwitz. Everything that takes place within the Auschwitz Memorial was later generated on the computer using VFX, as we obviously could not film inside.”

There were other poignant Jewish moments in the film, like when Ruth wants Edek to travel with her by train, and the camera observes his eyes; the memories of Jewish people being taken away in train cars during the Holocaust has him not want to get on.

“Stephen knew what must be going through Edek’s mind as soon as he hears the loud noise of the incoming train,” von Heinz acknowledged. “He doesn't need to act much for us to read the resistance in his eyes against boarding a train in Poland.”

In another scene, Dunham and Frey walk through a Jewish cemetery, looking for their relatives. She puts a pebble on one of the tombstones they find, so as to honor the dead.

Stephen Fry, Lily Brett and Julia von Heinz at the NY Tribeca premiere

“It is Ruth's helpless attempt to honor her deceased family, whom she never knew and is hearing about for the first time,” said von Heinz. “The integration into this extended family was taken from her forever.”

Brett felt a closeness to that scene, which stemmed from her own life.

“I was in that cemetery several times looking for grave sites. We first went to Poland in 1981, when it was still under communist rule, and was a very depressed country. The cemetery was in shocking condition. I went around looking for relatives, and found one branch and cleaned the area and put stones on…I think remembrance is hugely important. And that's part of why this film is so important to me.”

Being a part of the film was quite incredible for Brett.

“Especially when I was on the set, it was almost surreal. I was weeping because Stephen Fry reminded me so much of my father. Which was extraordinary because physically, they looked completely different; Stephen is 6”5’ and my dad at his peak was 5”10”. It was so interesting too, seeing Lena perform and talking with her about me and my dad.”

von Heinz was “overjoyed” that Dunham and Fry were starring in the film.

“Not only are they international stars, they also have a strong personal connection to the story,” said von Heinz. “Both their families are Jewish and have their roots in Eastern Europe. Stephen has even experienced a journey similar to Ruth's himself. Both are first-class actors who effortlessly combine tragedy with comedy.”

von Heinz hopes that people watching this film will connect with their older relatives, to hear their stories.

“‘Treasure’ tells us that in order to understand ourselves, we need to understand our origins. I want the audience to pick up the phone, call their parents or grandparents, ask and research. Pain travels through the generations until someone is ready to feel it. I wish my viewers Ruthie’s courage to unpack the painful past.”

“Treasure” will be available for streaming on July 30th.