In a small town in Nazi-occupied Slovakia during World War II, decent but timid carpenter Tono is named "Aryan comptroller" of a button store owned by an old Jewish widow, Rozalie. Since the post comes with a salary and standing in the town's corrupt hierarchy, Tono wrestles with greed and guilt as he and Rozalie gradually befriend each other. When the authorities order all Jews in town to be rounded up, Tono faces a moral dilemma unlike any he's known before.
Director: Ján Kadár, Elmar Klos
Writers: Ladislav Grosman, Ján Kadár, Elmar Klos
HBO Max Amazon Channel
YouTube TV
Criterion Channel
HBO MaxCatastrophe sprouts from tiny choices in Slovak New Wave gem _The Shop on Main Street_. In 1942 a mild carpenter becomes “Aryan controller” of a Jewish widow’s button shop. He tries to stay decent; the regime leans harder. Ida Kaminska lends the widow wary warmth, every twitch ca…
