Fantastically crafted.

Rating: 6/10 (30 January 2016)

I feel guilty for posting this review, for I think Saul fia is brilliant in many ways, and I want more film makers to experiment, and tell their stories in a creative and original fashion, like László Nemes.
There are some minor spoilers in this review, but not any that would ruin the movie for you.
The part of the movie which will probably get the most attention is the way that almost the entire image (which is small, "academy ratio") is at all times mostly focused on Géza Röhrig's character Saul. The camera follows Saul more closely than you have seen in a movie before, often leaving very little room for other than his head. The most obvious reason for making the movie this way is that it forces you to "complete" the setting using the sounds provided. Even though you do get some good looks at the horrible things happening at the concentration camp - I'm sure you will remember much more than what is actually shown on the screen. If this had been the sole reason for filming this way, it would have been a really good and memorable gimmick. But you can also see how this helps tell the story of Saul. Saul has been mentally weakened by the time he has spent in the camp. We don't learn too much of his back story, but we learn enough to know he has been in better condition than he is as the movie starts. The Saul you meet from the beginning of the movie seems all alone in the world. He blocks out the others (and the travesty happening around him), resulting in an entirely selfish personality. This is reflected by the way the movie is shot, because in the screen you see only what he sees: Himself.
Another thing I really liked about this movie is how real it all felt. Obviously I do not know much about how life really was like in the camps, but the way this movie handled it felt real. Previous movies I have seen about the time spent in concentration camps makes it seem like everything is organized and controlled, but in this movie, the chaos of it all makes it all seem more real. And all the extras feel like they are supposed to be there, and have been given clear instructions on what to do. For a movie that leaves so much of the background to the imagination, they really did work hard to make what it shown pretty much flawless.
So why do I only give it 6 out of 10? I am not sure. By focusing on an "anti-hero", the other prisoners seem all the more human, as they are almost always friendly with Saul, despite the things he does. But at the same time, I completely lost interest in Saul's project, his motivations and how his story would end. To me, the movie only works if you look away from what's in the dead center of it - Saul - and it might be that I am not a good enough watcher to be able to do this. I appreciate the film and can completely understand those who love it. But because I can not help myself from focusing on Saul's story, I was often times bored with the movie. I do not mind Saul being an unsympathetic character, and I'm fine with him being an anti-hero. But I wish he had traits that made him more compelling to watch. Because I can't be more specific than that, I'm also open to me not being a sophisticated enough watcher.