Quotes
"A Great Story"
Time Out NY
"Ina and (especially) Jack provide fascinating running commentary on Ohayon's well-crafted assemblage of archival photos and footage."
Joe Leydon - Variety | Read More...
"The love letters between Mr. Polak and Ina Soep, who became the second Mrs. Polak, are testimonials to the power of the human spirit."
The New York Times | Read More...
"Steal a Pencil is the kind of story that makes one believe in soulmates; if Jack and Ina can find and keep each other in the middle of genocide, there is hope for lovers everywhere."
Melanie Haupt - The Austin Chronicle
"The couple, old then, were immediately impressive for the vitality of their love for each other, and the frankness of their need to tell their story of love and survival as a means of redemption."
Woodstock Times | Read More...
"Novel pairing of Holocaust and romance makes docu an unusual memoir."
Hollywood reporter
"I am very conscious that we are in the United Nations today. They speak 172 languages in this building. You need to think about how you can say the word brilliant in every one of those languages for this movie!"
Viewer at the UN Screening
"I know of no other film that so successfully combines the story of love and human depravity, transforming it into a work of art, which the film most truly is."
Richard L. Rubenstein STM, PhD (Harvard), President Emeritus
* * * * (4 stars)
"This film is put together in an amazing fashion...An extraordinary original Holocaust documentary...startlingly surprising in so many ways..."
Janet Pierson, SXSW
"...A seminal film on the Holocaust that will touch peoples' lives forever..."
Advocacy Unit United Nations
"This is one of the better-looking documentaries I have seen in a long time... If you enjoy learning about the Holocaust and how dark a time it was, or you just like a good love story, then check this documentary out."
Zack Haddad - Filmthreat | Read More...
"This is one of the most extraordinarily lovely documentaries I’ve ever seen. It has the Holocaust stuff that will make you cry, and then the sweet, gentle love story. On top of that, the film has gorgeous cinematography and a beautiful musical score. It makes you cry big, happy tears over and over again, or at least it did me…"
Eric D Snider – freelance reviewer
"This is one Holocaust story that goes beyond horror and even survival to a fully realized life"
Joseph Kanon - author of "The Good German"
"Vibrantly Engaging" "Fascinating"
Variety
"...absorbing documentary...Not even Hollywood could invent a romance more extraordinary than this one."
The New York Daily News
"What makes Ms. Ohayon's movie special is its recognition that epic horrors don't erase private dramas..."
NY Times
"A Terrific Documentary."
The San Francisco Chronicle | Read More...
"Not your mother’s Holocaust movie, Ohayon’s gripping documentary
asks you both to weep for and celebrate."
The Village Voice | Read More...
"...extraordinary story...expertly made...creating a bridge between past and present that is not only highly moving, but highly cinematic"
Newsday
"Director Michèle Ohayon's striking documentary tells this most unusual love story with grace and compassion…Irrepressibly moving..."
LA Times *Critics Choice
"Lifts the spirit and breaks the heart"
EFilmCritic.com
"A beautifully crafted film."
San Francisco Weekly
"Elegant...Beautifully crafted film...Eloquent"
The Jewish Weekly
