Gloomy Sunday has more bright spots than you might expect from a film about three lovers in Nazi-occupied, war-torn Budapest. Its humor comes from a deeply felt understanding of human nature, love and how it all plays out during trying times. In this case, two men (Joachim Król, Stefano Dionisi) happily share the affections of one woman (Erika Marozsán), while their mutual friend uses the Third Reich for his own gain.
The encroaching Holocaust is nothing but bad news for the lovers, and their sympathetic Nazi pal's scruples are weakened by greed. Sounds depressing, true. But this handsome, moving and romantic German drama is so well made and features such strong, funny and heartbreaking performances, that its sorrowful tone is tempered with consolation. It's worth wading through the gloom.