Invincible

Zishe Breitbart is the son of an Orthodox Jewish blacksmith in rural Poland, known for extraordinary strength from years of hard labor. His power catches the eye of outsiders and hints at a future beyond the shtetl. His early life sets the stage for a dramatic journey to the city.

A talent agent sees Breitbart's potential as a strongman and persuades him to move to Berlin. He is offered opportunities to perform on a larger stage. The move marks the beginning of his ascent into the cabaret world.

In Berlin, Hanussen outfits Breitbart with a blonde wig and a Nordic helmet, calling him Siegfried to fit Aryan myths of strength. The Nazi-leaning crowd latches onto the persona and the act becomes a big hit. Breitbart senses the manipulation behind the applause.

Marta, a stage musician, becomes involved with Breitbart and is abused by Hanussen. Top Nazi figures attend the cabaret, feeding Breitbart's rising status. The atmosphere grows tense as power, exploitation, and performance collide.

Breitbart grows uneasy as he sees his strength used to flatter power and manipulate audiences. He questions the ethics of his act and the men who control his fame. A moral awakening hints at a deeper reckoning to come.

Benjamin, Breitbart's younger brother, visits and triggers a turning point. Breitbart rejects the Aryan masquerade and proclaims himself a Jewish Samson, removing the blonde wig during a performance. The crowd roars for the new Jewish hero, shifting Breitbart's self-perception.

Jews flock to the cabaret to see Samson, and the Nazis grow more hostile. Hanussen tries to attribute Breitbart's strength to mystic powers and to Marta's supposed subservience under his influence. The act becomes a flashpoint as politics and faith collide.

Hanussen moves in elite circles, hobnobbing with Himmler and Goebbels in the hope of joining Hitler's future government. He imagines power derived from Breitbart's aura and occult backing. This alliance foreshadows the danger behind the cabaret's glitter.

Breitbart learns that Hanussen is a Czech Jewish con artist named Herschel Steinschneider, and the con is exposed. The Brownshirts kidnap and murder him, ending the cabaret's occult intrigue. The episode reveals the brutal reality behind the showmanship.

Breitbart foresees the coming Holocaust and returns to Poland to warn the Jewish community. His warnings are met with disbelief or indifference, offering little protection. The failure to be believed fuels a sense of tragic inevitability.

Unable to secure safety for his people, Breitbart dies of an infected wound two days before Hitler's ascent to power in 1933. In the final titles his delirious mind conjures a dreamscape of peril and memory. The dream features his younger brother Benjamin escaping the looming catastrophe.

In a hallucinatory final scene Breitbart envisions his brother finding safety while a surreal red crab filled Christmas Island surrounds him. The imagery contrasts with the real threat looming over Europe. The closing vision underscores sacrifice, missed warnings, and the human cost of history.