Jakob the Liar

The film Jakob the Liar was about a Jewish café owner that brought hope and faith
during the World War II where hopelessness and evidence of doom was rampant in their
community. Jakob, the Jewish café owner, was caught in the evening therefore was sent to a
German office. In that moment, he accidentally overheard a radio news bulletin signaling Soviet
military that succeeded against German forces on the Eastern front, only 400 kilometers away
from the Jewish ghetto in which he and his community were held captive. When his friend
Mischa was about to do something bad out of furious and hopelessness, Jakob told him the
news. Mischa misinterpreted the story of Jakob for assuming that he had a radio because of the
news that Jakob told him. The news travelled fast which also made the community assumed
that Jakob had a radio in which it was strictly forbidden by the Nazi authorities.

The movie was entitled Jakob the Liar because of Jakob’s lie of having a radio. When his
community started asking follow-up stories, he refused their requests. However, he realized
that the stories had kept hope and humor alive among the people of the ghetto. He decided to
bring news to them but in order to do so, he lied. The suicide rate among the people of ghetto
had also decreased. As Jakob took care of his fellow prisoners, he was also obliged to take care
of a little girl that he found outside the ghetto walls.

Jakob’s actions were not merely for the sake of attention and fame. He did not do it for
himself instead he did it for the sake of the wellbeing of his fellow prisoners. Clearly, he had a
choice to tell the truth and continue with their lives, or to tell a lie in which had brought
significant difference as they woke up every day. He chose what was best for the people of
ghetto. Jakob’s doings were an act of Heroism. When he had the chance to tell the truth in front
of everybody at the moment where his life was in danger, he chose to lie again. He chose to
instill within the people the hope that was all along dead before. He chose to lie again in order
to keep their hope even if he was not sure what would happen to them after that moment. He
chose to lie again even if it would cause his life. There was nothing wrong of the lies that he told
to the people. In life and death situation and reality, it may have been the best thing that had
happened to them. Instilling hope and faith in the midst of war by telling a lie would have been
much easier than getting up every day and facing the reality of their lives not knowing whether
they still have the chance to live a normal life or not.