From what I've heard, in the early 90s director Agnieszka Holland caught hell for putting bits of levity & dark comedy into Europa Europa. It's definitely not a laugh-out-loud comedy, but there's a light hearted, absurdist approach in some scenes. For example there's the scene when Jupp runs toward the enemy to surrender, but his German comrades think he's single handedly storming the front line and they all rally around him and win the battle. And thus Jupp becomes a Nazi war hero lol. There's tons of this great tongue-in-cheek irony throughout. Who can forget the dream sequences of Hitler & Stalin dancing the waltz with little ballerinas, or Hitler hiding in a closet because he's actually Jewish?

Then there's the outright slapstick comedy of Jupp trying to stretch his thingyskin to hide the fact that he's circumcised. And he sits through a formal dinner tearing up in pain while the hostess thinks he's getting emotional over the death of a Nazi. Great stuff. I think that's what gives Europa Europa it's unique flavor and sets it apart from the standard brooding Holocaust movie. Critics at the time wouldn't agree.

7 years later Roberto Benigni would win a Best Film Oscar for Life is Beautiful which has a similar ironic humor to it. I loved both films. But why did Europa Europa get slammed while Life is Beautiful got praised? Was it just that 7 years had passed and Europa Europa was too soon?