A must see!

Rating: 10/10 (13 November 2002)

I was deeply touched by this film about a Polish pianist trying to escape the horrors of the Warsaw Ghetto.
Other than many Holocaust movies, this one has no humorous intermezzi to interrupt the gruesome reality displayed. I consider this to be an interesting directorial choice. In a way it makes it even harder to watch, but that's what makes it more realistic than other films about this subject. Reality in the Warsaw Ghetto was torture, period.
Film will always be an entertainment medium. Therefore the director needs to be extremely careful not to turn a serious topic like the Holocaust into something "entertaining", for example by bringing up a lighter subject every now and then, allowing the viewer to relax. Polanski did a fantastic job in using the medium without jeopardizing the contents of his film. No emotional scene was cheesy, no scene appears "staged", no over dramatized acting, no tearjerking violins. And the result: an even more emotionally moving piece. A message that doesn't seem forced, and yet there is one.

On a side note: I venture to say not every Nazi was intentionally doing evil. Many jumped on the bandwagon not knowing what they got themselves into, unable to quit once they found out. Watch carefully, especially towards the ending, and you will discover an interesting character.

"We are here not because of ourselves. It is His will that we are alive."