A Horrific, Depressing, Honest yet also an Occasionally Hopeful and Beautiful Film from Steven Spielberg

Rating: 9/10 (28 June 2019)

Schindler's List is long, depressing, horrific and is in no means an easy film to watch but I personally believe all humans need to watch it to have a greater insight on the atrocity that was the Holocaust. The film has incredible acting with Liam Neeson giving the best performance of his career as Oskar Schindler the first flawed then latter redeemed protagonist of the film, not to mention Ben Kinglsley as Itzhak Stern and Ralph Fiennes as the horrific, evil and vile yet also human Amon Goeth the ruthless Nazi commandant of the Krakow-Plaszow concentration camp. The use of black and white is extremely well used by Spielberg giving the visuals a blunt almost nonchalant feeling of honesty about the events unfolding. But what is truly special is how he uses a small amount of color at certain moments in the film, like for instance the little girl in the red coat, that adds to the emotions being felt onscreen. Schindler's List is also incredibly tense at times. The threat of the Jewish characters being killed is constantly lingering with some scenes like the showers in Auschwitz and a worker being taken out back of the factory being unbearable to watch at times. But with all the horrible inhuman actions happening, the film also is quiet beautiful and hopeful and heartwarming towards the end that is sure to leave most audience members weeping. Schindler's List is a haunting film that will leave you emotionally broken by the end of it but will give you a greater insight and understanding of the truly inhuman acts committed during the holocaust that is important for all people to recognize and come to terms with.