I had somehow missed this 2008 film which is a coproduction between Israel, Germany and the USA and filmed in Israel and Romania (hence the many surnames of crew & actors ending in 'u').
One big criticism - NO SUBTITLES OPTION. I often use them for English language films too, seeing as so many movies and TV dramas these days suffer from a bad dose of mumble-itis. But hey, I got most of it (I sometimes had to rewind).
Based on a novel, this is a quirky fantasy film. Watch the 25 minute MAKING OF doc on the DVD - it is worth it. There was no such institution in Israel in the 1950s and 60s - not until 1980s did anything like this exist.
I suppose this fits in with many fictional and supposedly factual takes of 'wild children' which date back many centuries.
Also a Holocaust film, with the Jeff Goldblum main character shown in Germany in the 20s and 30s - I always wanted to know more, but I suppose I'll have to read the novel to get that. So that pre-war and flashback to the camp is one part of the film; life in the psychiatric institution is the half that completes it.
This is a 2008 movie; I do wonder with today's hyper-sensitive sensibilities post-#metoo etc whether such a film could be made today. Everything is so po-faced and puritan now, and even if allowed needs multiple trigger warnings. Yawn...
4 stars