SON OF SAUL (Saul Fia) (2015) - ♦♦♦♦♦

Directed by - Laszlo Nemes

Written by - Laszlo Nemes, Clara Royer

Starring - Geza Rohrig

"It's hard for any film set during the holocaust to be original nowadays, but of those made in recent times, the feature debut by LASZLO NEMES is bound to stand out as one of the most powerful examples of its type. 

The film sollows the story of the titular Saul, a Jewish man in the concentration camp charged with the unholy task of being a sonderkommando, assisting the Nazi in murdering other fellow jews. The systematic way in which he is forced to undertake these tasks is suddenly halted when he witnesses a young boy miraculously survive the gas chambers only to be mercilessly suffocated by a predictably unsympathetic Nazi. Saul then becomes hellbent and obsessed with his mission of finding a rabbi who will assist him in the impossible goal of giving him a proper burial. 

SON OF SAUL is a powerful film defined by a sophisticated and precise cinematographic style that heightens its direct tension. THOMAS ERDELY's camera in fact constantly trails the leading character's every movement from start to finish. The viewer has literally no escape, due to the lengthy takes and lack of cuts, from the absorbing perspective on the dark and nightmarish setting of the concentration camp. The camera is left lingering on both subject and singular situations as they unfold, to the point where it is easy to start question his personal motives on the grounds of selfishness, due to the uncomfortable nature of this approach. 

Heightening the tension is the darkness of the setting, the play on light and shadows, that reveal the secrecy of the Jewish prisoners asthe simultaneously plot a desperate escape plan. 

NEMES' film is a truly visceral and intense experience, and much of its intensity goes to its lead actor GEZA ROHRIG, also in his first cinematic role. Considering the fact that he literally dominates the film's actions, this meant that a lot of the integrity depended on his own natural charisma, a task he carries off with great depth and credibility."

Drama, Hungary