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These movies mostly are focusing on the survivor and/or the rescuer, while the historical truth is that two out of three Jews were murdered in the Holocaust in Europe. I would assume there are at least a thousand or more documentary and films done about this subject, and yet the cinematographer, László and I, when we sat down first together, we just shared this sense of frustration and even disappointment with the genre, which by and large I would simply label as unsuccessful if we’re talking about witnessing and, importantly, testifying for the Holocaust. The chaos in this film is more than palpable, it burns through the screen. No one has ever experienced a representation like this. Not to take away from the importance of other films that have remembered this time in history, but one thing that becomes very clear after watching “Son of Saul” is that past Holocaust films have played it alarmingly safe and accessible. Throughout the discussion, it became abundantly clear just how essential of a role “Son of Saul” plays and will continue to play in remembering the Holocaust. Sitting down with Indiewire earlier this fall to discuss “Son of Saul,” Röhrig spoke openly about the film’s intentions to course-correct cinema’s representation of the Holocaust. He takes his time to respond to questions and to collect his thoughts, giving answers as powerful as the film itself. Saul doesn’t say much over the course of the film, but Röhrig is a force of internal reckoning. In person, he’s just as quiet and emotionally reflective. Despite the inevitable tragedy he faces, Saul remains bound to this singular task above all, remaining as stoic as possible as the world around him falls into chaos. Given Nemes’ claustrophobic blocking, the entiriety of “Son of Saul” and its brute emotional impact falls on the face of Röhrig, and what an impassioned, weary and revelatory face it is. When he comes across the body of a boy he takes for his son, Saul embarks on a mission to bury the child, all while a growing prisoner rebellion takes shape in the periphery. They should still be valid.Röhrig plays Saul Ausländer, a Hungarian-Jewish prisoner in Auschwitz who works as a Sonderkommando member, burning the dead and cleaning the gas chambers. Verena Lueken, film critic for Germany's daily "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung," asked after the premiere, "Can anyone imagine the filming process? The relationship between the actors and the characters they are playing?" She reached the conclusion: "There are good reasons for the taboo that the Holocaust should not be the stuff of fiction. Is it legitimate for a fictional feature film to tackle the topic of concentration camps? Should brutal deeds, murders and gassing be portrayed by actors? The debate is not new - it has previously surfaced in literature, theater, art and philosophy. "Son of Saul," on the other hand, is characterized by sober simplicity, which makes it all the more impactful.Īfter the premiere in Cannes, critics touched on a fundamental problem in the film. "They often try to tell a story of survivor and heroism," while at the same time romanticizing the past. Nemes explained that he had already been frustrated by Holocaust films. "I wanted to show the story as simply and archaically as possible." That's what differentiates "Son of Saul" from scores of other Holocaust films over the decades.
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He didn't intend to show everything that went on in the camp, he added. Nemes said he didn't want to take the position of a concentration camp survivor, explaining his aesthetic approach. The intense use of sound lends the film a great deal of authenticity, to the point that it practically has the effect of a documentary.
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Only the main protagonist and his direct surroundings are put in focus.Įverything else - even the crimes committed by the Nazis - seems blurry. Unusually, the film is shown in a square format, which pulls the viewer even more into the picture and the happenings in the camp. In an oppressive way, Nemes shows how courageous but also absurd this scheme is. Saul Ausländer (Geza Röhrig, right) comes into conflict with the guards over his burial plans