Few films can pull at the heartstrings quite like a powerful wartime drama, and Desperate Journey, directed by Annabel Jankel, is the latest to hit the silver screen.
Based on the true story and memoir of the same name by Holocaust survivor Freddie Knoller, the thriller follows a young Jewish teenager (played by rising star Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen) who is forced to flee his family and home in Vienna for Paris when the Nazis invaded during the Second World War.
Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen at the premiere for Desperate Journey
Stranded in 1940s Paris, he is left with no money and the urgent need for papers. Freddie soon takes a job at a notorious burlesque club that is frequented by a series of high-ranking Nazi officers.
His situation complicates itself further when the young man falls for the lead showgirl at the club (Clara Rugaard), and he is soon drawn into a tense chain of events in the glamorous city that change the trajectory of his life.
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Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen, best known to date for his roles in Netflix dramas The Rain and 1899, spoke exclusively to HELLO! about stepping into Freddie's shoes, the hardest scenes to film, and bringing 'hope' to audiences.
What drew you to Freddie’s story?
I remember the first time I read the script — I immediately fell in love with this charming, smiling, and positive soul who just wanted to live. The way he saw the world and what he went through was both devastating and incredible.
Early in the process, I got access to his testimony and his BBC documentary, where Freddie tells the story of how he fled alone from Vienna all the way to Paris.
What did you take from Freddie’s memoirs when bringing him to life on screen?
Creating fictional characters together with a script is definitely easier than portraying a real person who lived to a hundred, a man who experienced something many of us could never fully understand. Even though he went through hell and back, he still had this spark in his eyes, something you couldn’t look away from.
The way he talked about being separated from his family at such a young age, having to flee the place he called home, and still managing to find work in an occupied Paris right under the noses of the Gestapo. I knew I was up for a challenge.
I really wanted to bring his soul and that spark of life into my Freddie, the one that’s now on the screen, and to preserve his way of seeing other people as equals, and his drive to live, whatever it takes.
The film follows a young Jewish teenager forced to flee to Paris during the Second World War
What was the most difficult part of bringing Freddie’s journey to life?
The death march scenes were really difficult for me. Thinking back to when we shot those scenes: it was night, it was cold, and we were deep in the forest, having to simulate this horrible march.
I remember seeing all the extras with no hair dressed in pajamas, and others in uniforms with guns, and it suddenly hit me. It suddenly felt very real. That part was quite difficult and disturbing to shoot.
Why do you feel Freddie’s story is especially important to tell now?
Well… unfortunately, we live in a time where history seems to repeat itself. Freddie’s story is just one of thousands. I really believe it’s important that we don’t forget the past — but also that we learn to forgive. To live in peace, all of us together.
Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen stars in the film, which is based on the memoir by Holocaust survivor Freddie Knoller
What was it like filming in Budapest?
I had a great time shooting in Budapest. It’s a beautiful city with many different areas that can transform into multiple different places in Europe. I love running in new cities — that’s kind of how I discover their secrets.
What do you hope audiences take away from the film?
Of course, this is a film, and sure, there are elements meant to entertain. But I truly hope the audience leaves the room with a sense of hope, and that the film might shift their perspective and connect with people who may be unaware of what happened to so many innocent lives back then.
Desperate Journey is out in cinemas nationwide now.
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