'SON OF SAUL' REVIEW: Come and See... [5/5]
Extraordinarily Human Choices Made Under Inhuman Circumstances
[Rating 5/5] - dir. László Nemes - 2015 - Hungary - R - 1h 47m - Historical Drama
It’s all in the face. Sure, “Saul” (Géza Röhrig) speaks, but the emotions etched on his face speak louder. His eyes burn with curiosity and compassion and the ever-present conflict of looking out for yourself, because what choice did you have?
Son of Saul, a brutal, physical, dry-eyed look at the day-to-day of a WWII concentration camp through the eyes of one of its prisoner-workers. At any moment, the floor could drop out. A bomb could go off. A Nazi could become pissed and consequently triggerhappy. You could find yourself ensared in the greater plan of a greater more puppeteering man. Danger is not just at the camp it is of the camp.
Being on Saul’s shoulder for the entirety of the movie makes for a discomfiting and therefore correctly effective experience. I say “correct” because there is the fear of thrill for thrill’s sake, and not for the sake of historical accuracy.
Director László Nemes, I read, plotted this movie long before he ever began shooting. From 2005, while working as an assistant, all the way through to the next decade, he never stopped nurturing this unique take within the fertile-if-crowded WWII subgenre. Financing and bluster got them to the starting line, and near-silent acting talent, inventive sound design, and exhilirating, emotional cinematography got them to the finish line.
Not only is the substance of this movie a triumph, so is its making.
—
‘Son of Saul’ is streaming now.
Selected Movie Quote: “You failed the living for the dead.”
[Rating 5/5] - dir. László Nemes - 2015 - Hungary - R - 1h 47m - Historical Drama