In this enchantingly romantic tale, a Viennese Holocaust survivor becomes a charismatic restaurateur in Brussels, feeding his devoted diners Jewish delicacies while nourishing his outsized love of cinema so he can overcome his childhood wartime trauma. Saül Birnbaum runs a lively delicatessen adorned with film posters and movie paraphernalia, staffed by waitresses on roller skates. He spontaneously spouts dialogue, usually in English, from his favorite films, or croons with gusto a nearly accent-free version of Sinatra’s “New York, New York.” But having barely escaped the Shoah by Kindertransport to Belgium in the early forties, he is haunted by memories of separating from his parents and his ever-present yearning as a youngster to reunite with them. As he tries to confront and overcome his profound sadness, Saül works with his protégé Joakin, a young Chilean director, to write a screenplay of his childhood story replete with specific recollections, for instance, a teacher ostracizing and rejecting him for being Jewish in a mostly gentile school. But when he falls for a comely projectionist at the local cinematheque with secrets of her own, he must ferret out a chance at a felicitous future. The Way to Happiness is a nostalgia-infused charmer that will warm your soul and delight all your senses as it reminds us that the past is always with us.

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Sponsored by Jacqueline Simkin