Atlanta Jewish Film Festival: The Most Precious of Cargoes

A childless Polish peasant couple’s lives are transformed when they rescue a Jewish infant cast from an Auschwitz-bound train, in this exquisitely animated fable of hope and humanity. Deep in a snowbound forest, the woodcutter’s wife finds the baby and, despite her husband’s protests, takes her in, placing them in constant danger within a community steeped in fear and prejudice. Their plight intertwines with the baby’s father, who endures death camp horrors after sacrificing everything to save her, leading to an emotional climax. This adaptation directed by Oscar-winner Michel Hazanavicius of Jean-Claude Grumberg’s acclaimed novel, earned top Cannes and Annecy nominations, its austere hand-drawn animation accented by magical realism and Alexandre Desplat’s stirring score.