For the next few weeks I'll be posting reviews of films that will show at the Portland International Film Festival (February 7-23). You can get showtimes by tracking down the festival schedule at www.nwfilm.org. If you don't live in Portland, bear in mind that many of these films will be released theatrically in the coming months and the others will hopefully show up on DVD someday.

The Counterfeiters
Grade: B+

Austrian director Stefan Ruzowitzky scored a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nomination with this morally complex true story about a group of Jewish men who secured preferential treatment at a concentration camp by making fake loot for Nazis toward the end of World War II. It’s a technically accomplished effort, with impressive acting, sets and cinematography. But as a drama it’s never completely engaging, owing to a slow beginning, some predictable plot twists and an emotionally flaccid denouement.