It’s a good thing that the film Son of Saul is squarely focussed on it’s protagonist because if it let us see everything around him the film would become almost unwatchable. Right now it’s just horrific. But that’s in subject matter. Most films about the consistent grinding life of a prisoner helping keep the furnaces of Auschwitz running would be scary as hell (and it is), but the filmmaking craft here turns the film into a suspense juggernaut that’s one of the best films of all time. It keeps the drama personal and close up quite literally, the camera rarely leaves actor Géza Röhrig’s face, and the horrors around him are kept metaphorically fuzzy (in that the close up allows the the insanity of the situation to be visually displayed by a more blurred background). Röhrig and his director László Nemes are mainly in charge of making the film cogent enough to be a great movie even if it’s made up of people being shot into pits, and burned in furnaces. That’s hard to pull off. Yes, the “Holocaust drama” has always been powerful, but to ultimately put the audience in a POV for a man made to gas and kill his people. That’s a whole different beast. Still, they make it work as a film because Saul’s simple arch fits in with the simple story, and ideas behind it. The horrifying reality happens around Saul and the film keeps the audience just enough detached from it...at first. Saul near the beginning seems almost resilient to the whole situation doing his job, and planning something with his friends. His arch comes from that whole facade being ripped to the ground. The moment when it does is one of greatest silent scenes ever put to film. That does sound heavy and with all the violent Holocaust stuff IT IS, but as a piece of art going through the emotion of watching Saul break is resoundingly upsetting but cathartic. On top of that the film manages to feel like a life or death thriller consistently because of the camerawork… and the fact that THIS IS ACTUALLY TAKING PLACE IN A REAL LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION. The looming threat of death by “I pissed off the wrong guard” plus the letterbox 40mm look of Son of Saul allows the film to make an intense scene out of every scene. Spoilers but small ones. An example of this is a scene in which Saul and his friend stand in a line, and have to yell out “Here” after their number is called. The scene is shot extremely close of Saul’s face just like the rest of the film, and his facial intensity creates suspense out of this whole scene. Then before allowing that to pay off the scene cuts, and does the same suspense teasing again. Son of Saul is already a movie that messes with you, but then you realize that the scenes are in fact structured to create this intensity. Son of Saul is not a movie that everyone should see. It’s punishingly realistic in its subject matter, but as a piece of art, it’s absolutely excellent. I give Son of Saul a 10 out of 10. NOTE: I paused before I called the movie good when I exited the theatre. I was scared by it, and so saddened but struck by it’s power that I cried… twice. The movie will kick the shit out of you so all you squeamish people don’t see this movie. REVIEW BY STEPHEN TRONICEK.
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December 2017
CategoriesAuthorHello welcome to FilmAnalyst. My name is Stephen Tronicek, and I really like movies. This is a way to get my opinions out to people. Thank you for visiting. |