I wish everyone could understand.

Rating: 8/10 (23 May 1999)

I am an extremely cynical moviegoer. I've read the comments of those who "don't see what the fuss is all about" and I think that that's a tragedy. This is the SWEETEST film I have ever seen. I haven't cried at a movie in about five years, but this film turned me into a blubbering mass of goo. I understand the arguments about the unrealistic concentration camp settings, and they make me want to vomit. For me, this film was about letting go of cynicism and hatred and anger, and seeing the love that one man is capable of, and the arbitrariness of hatred. The very most you can hope for from a film is to find something in the work that helps you to understand and connect with a few in the range of emotions that encompass what it means to be human. Don't put down this film for being "unrealistic". It is a beautiful beautiful BEAUTIFUL STORY, and the suspension of disbelief that it asks from the viewer is a VERY small price to pay in exchange for the eloquence of its message.