To survive a concentration camp, a prisoner invents a language using victims' names.
In short: In the 2020 drama Persian Lessons, a Belgian Jew avoids execution by convincing an SS officer he is Persian. To maintain the ruse, he constructs a fake language based on the names of prisoners who died in the camp, creating a haunting mnemonic device that eventually serves a grim purpose.
Directed by Vadim Perelman and inspired by Wolfgang Kohlhaase's short story, the film follows Gilles, who adopts the name Reza Joon to survive. His captor, Deputy Commandant Klaus Koch, dreams of moving to Tehran to open a restaurant after the war and demands to be taught Persian. Gilles, having no knowledge of the language, begins inventing words to satisfy Koch's ambition of learning 2,000 words over two years.
The mechanism of Gilles's deception is rooted in the camp's bureaucracy. Tasked with recording the names of new arrivals in a ledger, he begins using the names of deceased prisoners to construct his vocabulary. This system allows him to memorize his invented words, though the charade is fraught with danger. He faces constant threats from other officers, including Section Leader Max, who suspects the truth, and must navigate the volatile environment of the camp.
The film’s linguistic construction is as deliberate as the plot. A Russian philologist at Moscow State University created the fake language by basing the vocabulary on the actual names of documented Holocaust victims. This detail adds a layer of historical weight to the narrative, though the film has faced criticism. A 2023 study by Grigoriy and Irina Konson argues that the film creates a 'supposed humanity' by attempting to find compassion between prisoners and SS officers, which they contend is dangerous in a historical context.
Ultimately, the ledger serves as a final, tragic testament. After escaping to American lines, Gilles is able to recite the names of 2,840 victims he had memorized through his linguistic ruse. While the film received mixed reviews—holding an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes but a 53/100 score on Metacritic—it remains a tense exploration of survival, memory, and the desperate lengths taken to preserve one's life amidst atrocity.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Persian Lessons
- Also: Wikidata — Persian Lessons · CC0
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