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Trailer

The Shop on Main Street

1965Movie2 h 8 min

Drama
91
ExcellentGoodWatch score
IMDb8.2Rotten Tomatoes100%94%

A deeply moving, melancholic drama movie about history and politics.

Good for date night · friends night · teens

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Not for laughs, warmth or comfort.

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Story

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.

Feels like

  • Holocaust Drama
  • Moral Dilemma
  • Nazi Occupation
  • Slovak Cinema
  • Guilt and Complicity
  • Humanity in Darkness
  • Small Town Setting
  • Tragic Irony
  • Historical Injustice

Cast

8 of 8

Crew

Directed by
Elmar Klos, Ján Kadár
Written by
Elmar Klos, Ján Kadár, Ladislav Grosman
Produced by
Jaromír Lukáš, Karel Feix, Ladislav Hanuš
Music by
Zdeněk Liška

Everyone

Pick a department, or search for a name or a job (“editor”, “stunt”).

Facts

June 24, 1965 · 2 h 8 min · Violence

Released
June 24, 1965
Runtime
2 h 8 min
Content
Violence
Genres
Drama, War
Original language
Slovak
Also spoken
German, Polish, Yiddish
Made in
XC
Box office
$1 million
Available in
68 countries

Tropes

Breaking the Fourth Wall, Les Collaborateurs, Day of the Jackboot +9

  • Breaking the Fourth Wall
  • Les Collaborateurs
  • Day of the Jackboot
  • Driven to Suicide
  • Final Solution
  • I Need A Drink
  • Greedy Jew
  • Evil Tower of Ominousness
  • Deliberate Values Dissonance
  • Would Hit a Girl
  • Downer Ending
  • What You Are in the Dark

12 of 15 tropes. From TV Tropes.

Q&A

4 questions, like "Where can I stream The Shop on Main Street?"

Questions about The Shop on Main Street

Quick answers from GoodWatch data.

Where can I stream The Shop on Main Street?

HBO MaxCriterion

In the United States, The Shop on Main Street streams on HBO Max and Criterion. It also streams in 66 other countries.

Is The Shop on Main Street worth watching?

91
ExcellentGoodWatch score

Yes, it's widely acclaimed, with a GoodWatch score of 91 (IMDb 8.2 and Rotten Tomatoes 100%). Critics rate it higher (100 out of 100) than audiences (88).

Is The Shop on Main Street plot-driven or character-driven?

CharactersPlot

Mostly character-driven: it leans on pathos (9 of 10) and character depth (8 of 10) more than on its plot.

Is The Shop on Main Street in English?

SlovakGermanPolishYiddish

No, it was made in Slovak, with some German, Polish, and Yiddish.