Son of Saul (Saul fia) (2015)

Drama, Thriller, War

Director: László Nemes
Writers: László Nemes, Clara Royer
Starring: Géza Röhrig, Levente Molnár, Urs Rechn, Todd Charmont

Saul is a Jewish-Hungarian prisoner in the Auschwitz concentration camp, where he works in the Sonderkommando - a work unit made of prisoners who help the Nazis dispose of the dead bodies from the gas chambers. Right at the beginning of the film, we are introduced into the grim environment it takes place in, where Saul comes across the the body of a young boy he takes for his son. While members of his Sonderkommando plan a secret rebellion, Saul takes on the almost-impossible task of giving the young boy a traditional Jewish burial and puts his life at risk, going through extreme lengths to carry out his noble plan.

Filmed almost in entirety with close-ups of the protagonist's emotionless face, with the rest of the characters and actions mostly out of focus, the film still effectively manages to make the horrors of the death camps almost palpable.

Receiving a widespread acclaim in each festival it’s been presented and taking home the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Saul fia (the Hungarian title) tells the personal and intimate drama of one man, set against the horrific Holocaust experience, but presents the tabu and controversial subject from an impressive, unexpected new angle.

Plot summary from IMDb: In the horror of 1944 Auschwitz, a prisoner forced to burn the corpses of his own people finds moral survival upon trying to salvage from the flames the body of a boy he takes for his son.

Awards: Won 1 Oscar. Another 45 wins & 38 nominations.
Runtime: 107 min
R