Directed by Yaron Zilberman. (STC)
84 min. Opens June 3.
The world's most famous Jewish athletic club, Hakoah, was founded
because of prejudice. Due to pro-Aryan regulations adopted in 1909,
Jews were barred from joining Austrian sports clubs. The new club (the
title means "the strength" in Hebrew) would produce a series of top
competitors, most famously the women swimmers who dominated the sport
internationally in the 1930s. In Yaron Zilberman's sweet-tempered
documentary, eight of these octogenarians reunite in Vienna for one
more dip in the pool together.
Though Zilberman is primarily interested in the ladies' sporting achievements and the history of Hakoah, Watermarks
inevitably serves as a larger portrait of both European Jewish culture
in the '30s and the post-war diaspora. Despite the fact that they ended
up living in locations as disparate as Tel Aviv and New Jersey, the
Hakoah veterans remained a tight-knit group, largely thanks to club
president Dr. Valentin Rosenfeld's efforts to sustain their connections
through his newsletters (he was also instrumental in arranging for the
women's escape after the Anschluss). The women are clearly
appreciative of him and each other as they discuss their Hakoah days,
some of which were spent with cute boys from the fencing team.
The fact that the still-feisty swimmers (especially Ann-Marie
Pisker, who firmly requests that Zilberman not film her in her swimming
suit) are very good company makes up for
Watermarks' lack of
dramatic incident. The most upsetting moment comes when former diver
Greta Stanton encounters a racist cabbie, proof the bigotry that forced
the women to flee Vienna is not entirely gone. Yet, for the most part,
Watermarks
emphasizes values like joy, determination and pride in achievement,
ensuring that Hakoah's legacy is more positive than tragic.