“To begin with, in Europa, the action centers on and revolves around the protagonist. He is definitely the central character and it is his point of view that the viewer sees most of the time. Solomon is depicted in a variety of situations and adventures, some of which might even seem exotic and romantic if the circumstances had not been so deadly and dangerous. The movie is mostly a recounting of how Solomon survived through various guises: his fleeing to the Soviet Union; his time at the Russian orphanage; his involvement with the Komsomol, the communist organization for young people; his eventual capture by the Germans; his ability to convince them that he was an ethnic German; his work as a Russian translator; his education at an elite school run by the Hitler Youth group; his constant fear that his true identity would be revealed.”