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Agatha and the Former Juggler

Monday: The Search (1948)
        After WWII a lot of children were displaced. They were separated from their families in the camps. Organizations did their best to find the children's family. If they couldn't find the family they sent the kids to a good family. After arriving at one of these relocation camps in Germany a young boy runs away. He doesn't speak but has a friend who runs away with him. They don't trust anyone in uniform. The boy's friend dies. He is left to fend for himself. One day he spots a young soldier eating a sandwich. The boy is starving. The soldier, Ralph, offers him some food. Ralph can't leave the boy alone, so he takes him back to his house. The boy, named Jim by Ralph, doesn't trust Ralph. When he sees that he will not be forced to stay he starts to trust Ralph. Ralph teaches Jim to speak English. While this is happening we see Jim's mother (his real name is Karel) looking for her son. She has been going from camp to camp looking for him. She ends up falling ill and then working at the camp Jim had been at. They are so close to being reunited. I thought this movie was ok. It has a educational/school movie feel. At the beginning there is narration educating you about what happened to these kids. It is a new angle of the war to think about. These kids spent a long time in concentration camps. What would that do to them? They don't trust people in uniforms. They have to adjust to not having to hoard food or worry about were to sleep. An ambulance is a threat because in the camps they would take people to be gassed in ambulances. There must have been a long adjustment period. It was a long time before they were normal kids again.

Tuesday: The Juggler (1953)
       Hans is a former juggler and entertainer. He is Jewish. Hans was on tour in Germany during WWII. He was sent to a concentration camp. When the war ended he was sent to Israel to live in a refugee camp. Hans has psychological issues. He runs away. A policeman finds him. Hans reacts violently and almost kills the policeman. He needs to get away. On his way he meets a young boy who acts as his guide. They end up at another camp. There he meets Ya'El. She helps him to get better. But his crime catches up with him. I liked this movie. It was well acted.

Wednesday: Gang Busters (1955)
         John Pinson is number four on America's most wanted list. He is a robber and a murderer. He has been caught several times. Each time he escapes from prison. The movie shows his time at the Oregon State Prison. John escapes several times. Each time he is out for longer periods of time before getting caught. This movie was ok. I think it was based off a TV show of the same name. It is loosely based on a real criminal. The quality wasn't very good. John isn't very smart. Sure he escapes but then immediately goes back to doing the same thing and gets caught again. The cops aren't very smart either.

Friday: Queen & Slim (2019)
       Queen and Slim are a young black couple heading back after their first date when they are pulled over by a cop. It is clearly racial profiling. Slim hadn't done anything wrong. Queen is a lawyer and calls out the cop for harassing them. Things escalate, the cop shoots Queen in the leg, Slim ends up the with cop's gun and kills the cop. Queen and Slim go on the run. They face many obstacles trying to avoid getting caught. Soon they become a symbol for the resistance against being profiled and threatened by the police. This is a good movie. It is very well done. I'm not sure I worded that summary correctly. Hopefully the correct meaning came across.

Saturday: Creation (2009)
         Charles Darwin is struggling after the death of his oldest daughter. His own health is failing due to emotional issues. His work makes him question his faith. He is also worried if he publishes his book it will hurt his wife, who is very religious. She sees his work as starting a war on religion. Charles struggles with his decision. He doesn't want to upset his wife but he also needs to publish his life's work. This movie is good, but not great.

Sunday: Agatha and the Truth of Murder (2018)
        Agatha Christie disappeared for 11 days in the mid 20s. This movie is one theory of what could have happened during that time. Agatha is struggling with her writing. Her marriage is falling apart. A nurse named Mabel approaches her. Mabel's friend was murdered six years ago. The case was closed but Mabel is not satisfied with the results. She believes the murderer is still out there. She wants Agatha to help her solve the murder. Agatha agrees. They come up with a plan to gather all the suspects in one house. From there they can figure out who the murderer is. When a murder happens at the house, the two women find out more is happening than they realized. I liked this movie.

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