Grim, harrowing depiction of life in the Nazi death camps

Rating: 10/10 (23 August 2016)

The main story here concerns the efforts of one man to give a small child the respect and burial he deserves after a brutal death at the hands of the Nazi regime. Right from the very beginning the focus is on Saul with the background being out of focus and the soundtrack allowing us to imagine that we are Saul and experiencing what he would be experiencing. The latest arrival of prisoners are herded towards the showers by their own and with the promise of food and work to prevent mass panic. The only way to survive for a short time is to do the bidding of the Nazi regime. The outcome is inevitable. The young boy (barely) survives the gas chamber, is mercilessly killed and so the story develops as Saul attempts to find a willing rabbi, attempts to get information of the horror to the outside world and attempts to survive long enough to try and live what life he has left with some purpose. A dark chapter in the history of mankind and although the cruelty and horror of the Nazi death camps is not the main theme of the film, it's the theme that will get to you the most. Superbly acted and filmed, Son of Saul will have an impact on you. Your morals and ethics will be examined when you watch this masterpiece. One of the, if not the most, deserving of films to be recognized and awarded by its peers.