The sheer horror and brilliance of this film cannot be described in words

Rating: Null/10 (29 March 2003)

I will admit that when Adrien Brody won the Oscar last weekend, his speech was so moving and genuine that I was immediately drawn to wanting to see the film, and I'm glad I waited until after the awards to see it for the first time. The depth of his performance is absolute madness. Everything that happens to him in this film shows the genuine triumph of the human spirit. His love for playing the piano is what keeps him alive when everything around him is destroyed, and his music was the only thing that remained constant in his life. The fact that this film was directed by Roman Polanski is the best part. A fellow Holocaust survivor, what Polanski survived came across every frame of this film. Simply put, no one else could have directed the film. However, the film is one word: DISTURBING. It moves at a good pace, never drags and in one scene, (no spoilers) Brody truly realizes exactly how close he has been to death. Not hesitating, this is simply one of the best movies I have ever seen.