Life Isn't Always Beautiful

Rating: 7/10 (4 February 2018)

"Life is Beautiful" can be described as somewhat of an "optimistic" Holocaust film, if there is such a thing, but brings a unique representation of life in the concentration camp. From a historical perspective, there are certainly inaccuracies in terms of dates and certain facts like the tattooed number. However, the movie does a good job of highlighting the fact that people who lived in concentration camps were not just a mass crowd of millions. Each person had an individual story and their individuality was something that the Nazis attempted to take in order to dehumanize them, but couldn't necessarily do so. In this way, the movie begins to make viewers better understand the effect of the Holocaust by delving into the story of one family and showing the pain and suffering they want through. Someone can read that millions of people died in the Holocaust, but this movie starts to explore the emotion behind those millions of people. This makes the experience easier to understand, something that textbooks fail to do.
My main critique of this film is the characterization of Guido. The two main characteristics of him are that he is Jewish and a comedian. Yet both of these tropes are played up and limit the depth of his characterization and the experience of a concentration camp. Pre-concentration camp, he was hustling, stealing hats, and a fast talker. These stereotypically Jewish traits are played up, yet part of combating racial politics is recognizing that belonging to a group does not mean that one possesses every stereotypical trait about that group. It's saddening to see that aspect of racial politics being ignored in a film about the Holocaust. Also, both outside and inside of the camp, Guido is always upbeat, making up antics, and his smile and innovation never falters. Even when he was about to be shot, his facial expression never changed and he kept up his façade for his son until the end. While I can understand Joshua idolizing his father, the consistent positivity within a concentration just isn't realistic. When different problems arise within the camp, Guido never falters, not even once, to keep a consistent smile and pull another solution out of brain without a thought. Like I said earlier, I appreciate the sentiment of creating a story about the Holocaust that isn't all sad, as people in concentration camps did try to go on with their lives within the camp system. However, that doesn't mean living in a concentration camp was easy, let alone pretending it was all a game.
I still encourage people to watch this movie, but watch with a careful eye and focus on the emotion of the characters, not the plot or facts about concentration camps.