Son of Saul

Starring: Geza Rohrig, Levente Molnar, Urs Rechn, Todd Charmont, Jerzy Walczak, Sandor Zsoter, Marcin Czarnik
Directed by: Laszlo Nemes
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
2015

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A Jewish-Hungarian concentration camp prisoner risks his life to bury a young boy.

Review:

Tim: There have been so many movies about World War II and the Holocaust. I understand the importance of these events and the criticality of never forgetting this part of history, but there's a small part of me that always asks if more movies are necessary. Haven't we already explored this in nearly every aspect of the film medium? And then, a movie like Laszlo Nemes' Son of Saul comes along and reminds me that there is still value to exploring this time period, especially when you do it in such a visually unique way. This film might not quite be great, but it's unbelievably good- an expertly made film that tells a challenging story that refuses to offer the audience any easy answers. This is a complicated, complex film that I very much enjoyed.

I need to start this review by discussing the cinematography. I don't pretend to be especially educated in film, other than what I've picked up by watching movies for two decades. I've never seen a film shot like this. The entirety of the movie, the camera focuses almost completely on Gez Rohrig's character of Saul. He's always in focus, while everything around him is in the background, blurred. It's an incredibly brave move to make a film that never looks beautiful- it's narrow, focused. It perfectly captures what it must have felt like cognitively to be in a concentration camp. Your world shrinks down to the smallest possible size- there's you and your fight for survival. It's jarring and shocking to watch a movie where you never quite see the full picture. I was amazed how much Nemes was able to convey through this technique. I found myself scanning the background, trying to see as much as I could. I was so impressed by how much of the story I was able to follow, even though it never comes into focus. This is such a brilliant technique that perfectly fits the story Nemes is telling. It's the most memorable, stunning aspect of the film. This is the film's strongest aspect- the technical achievement of filming a movie like this is truly fantastic.

The movie isn't all style, though. It tells a powerful story. It's so interesting how few answers we get from the movie itself. I was able to follow the story, but I had so many questions. The story forces you to make assumptions, which may or may not be true. This isn't a film that's particularly interested in providing answers. Even by the conclusion of the film, you'll likely still have many questions about what you saw, what it meant. I did do some reading afterwards to try and understand Nemes' intentions. I was curious if my interpretation of the movie aligned with the filmmakers'. I was somewhat pleased to see they purposely kept that open-ended. Even in interviews about the movie, they wanted the audience to make their own interpretations. This isn't always the most satisfying, but it does cause the film to linger in your mind.

I liked the cast. I thought Geza Rohig did an outstanding job in the lead role. It was a bit of an odd performance. There's not a ton of emotion, but I think that was intentional. Living under the worst conditions imaginable, your body breaks down, shuts down, tries to protect itself. Becoming stoic, frozen, non-reactionary was likely needed to survive. The film revolves around him and his face, and he carries the movie well. Levente Molnar added a strong performance, too, as did Sandor Zsoter. The while cast really worked well, but the movie almost exclusively focused on Rohig, so he's the one who makes the biggest impact and leaves the longest impression. I really did like what he did, even though his performance isn't quite expected.

I do think that the technique and approach to making the film was unique and brilliant. However, it didn't quite allow enough space for emotion to seep in. You start to feel like the characters on the screen- a bit confused, keeping your head down, just trying to see it through. For that reason, I didn't connect as deeply with the characters. My questions about Saul's plan and what was true and what wasn't created a bit of a disconnection with his story. I wanted to see how it ended, but I didn't feel as powerful of an emotional connection. I think this is partially why I'd consider the film really, really good (but not quite great).

Son of Saul is a fantastic piece of filmmaking and a terrific Hungarian film. It won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Film and it was absolutely deserving of this honor.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



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