it be the story of a jew and that step by accident in a complicated situation . keep into one of the many german concentration camp and he get to know that front line come closer . a russian advance would mean to be restore to freedom . but know this he have to see how his companion and friend commit suicide . so he have the chance to stop it and tell them of the news . it be allure but unmoral and cause he have to lie . nobody would believe him the true story and so he fake up a radio . jurek becker create one of the most sensitive and heartbreaking plot for holocaust film . marcel reich ranicki praise him for invent the principle radio . but this hollywoody holocaustic thingy can not deal the complexity . jacob be present a just a funny jew and that love his people . it do not deal with the problem of jewish identity and which be one of the central theme . it even naively adopts stereotype nazis use . this adaption sacrifice density for simplicity and compatibility . this movie be just an entertaining film and an audience prefer a more deep and dense plot should look the gdr production and for which jurek becker himself make the screenplay and earn the first and only oscar nomination an east german film ever get .