How can anyone decently say bad things about The Most Precious of Commodities? The story is tragic, yes, but it cannot be otherwise, given the context. The representation of the Shoah, even through drawings, always poses a problem, it all depends on the dose of pathos that is transferred to it. At certain moments in the film, perhaps this is too strong. Or it will never be too much, it's up to everyone to judge. It's a tale by Jean-Claude Grumberg and it's an animated film by Michel Hazanavicius. It is a story of rescue in the midst of horror, in a Poland where anti-Semitism is reaching heights, among the most humble of its inhabitants (should we insist so much? Not sure). And it is the fate of the “adopted” daughter, who fell from the train, of a lumberjack and his wife, and the latter is an unforgettable character, like a symbol of love and generosity, in a world, that of the Second World War, which is atrociously deprived of it. What emotion to hear, for the last time, a text read by Jean-Louis Trintignant. And Dominique Blanc and Grégory Gadebois are perfect. We can't say anything bad about The Most Precious Commodity but that's firstly because the film finds the balance between tragedy, romance and benevolence. And with a refined drawing where the trains of death whistle the shame of a humanity at half mast.
