holocaust

Stories For My Children’s Children: Lessons From The Holocaust: A Riveting Tribute to Family and Legacy
Stories For My Children’s Children: Lessons From The Holocaust: A Riveting Tribute to Family and Legacy

“There was nobody but me who knew as much as I knew, and so I…

Toronto International Film Festival 2023: THE ZONE OF INTEREST: A Terrifying Formal Experiment

The uber-formalistic approach of The Zone of Interest may strike some as unfeeling and morally empty, but it’s an authentic film.

I AM HERE: A Story Of Survival
I AM HERE: A Story Of Survival

I Am Here is not a perfect film, but it accomplishes what it sets out to do, which is to allow the world to honor Ella Blumenthal and share her story.

RESISTANCE: Well-Intentioned But Ill-Focused
RESISTANCE: Well-Intentioned But Ill-Focused

Resistance is a film that struggles to find its footing, though Eisenberg is always there to break its fall – for better or worse.

THE LAST SUIT: A Powerful and Poignant Journey
THE LAST SUIT: A Powerful & Poignant Journey

By elegantly twisting the tropes of both the road movie and the war movie, The Last Suit tells a familiar story in a fresh manner.

OPERATION FINALE: Revenge & Justice Clash In Somber True Story
OPERATION FINALE: Revenge & Justice Clash In Somber True Story

Operation Finale is pensive and provocative, but it also feels a desire to thrill viewers remaining limited by its adherence to the spy genre.

"Boarding School is ultimately a holocaust movie than a horror movie" Interview with Boaz Yakin, Director of BOARDING SCHOOL
“It Is A Holocaust Movie In Its Own Way.” Interview With Boaz Yakin, Director Of BOARDING SCHOOL

We spoke with writer and director Boaz Yakin about his upcoming horror film Boarding School, whose story transcends that of a traditional horror.

BOARDING SCHOOL: This School Teaches a Whole New Brand of Horror
BOARDING SCHOOL: This School Teaches A Whole New Brand Of Horror

Boarding School follows in suit with the continued reinvigoration of the horror genre, breaking away from the cliché and introducing new scares.

"I Never Got Into His Mind, Ever." Interview With Sir Ben Kingsley, On Playing A Nazi War Criminal In OPERATION FINALE
“I Never Got Into His Mind, Ever.” Interview With Sir Ben Kingsley, On Playing A Nazi War Criminal In OPERATION FINALE

We spoke with Sir Ben Kingsley about his latest film Operation Finale, taking on the portrayal of a Nazi official and his continued work to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive.

RED TREES: A Colorful Display Of Tragedy & Will (Interview With Director Marina Willers)
RED TREES: A Colorful Display Of Tragedy & Will (Interview With Director Marina Willer)

Red Trees is a poignant look at the Holocaust through the eyes of a survivor; we also spoke with director Marina Willer.

THE ZOOKEEPER'S WIFE: The Holocaust Under A Softer Light
THE ZOOKEEPER’S WIFE: The Holocaust Under A Softer Light

Despite bringing to life some previously unseen perspectives on the holocaust, The Zookeeper’s Wife is far from faultless.

THE LAST LAUGH: Comedy vs. The Holocaust
THE LAST LAUGH: Comedy vs. The Holocaust

The Last Laugh is a profound documentary that somehow warmly weighs the need for laughter with the immense tragedy that was the Holocaust.

A NAZI LEGACY: Intriguing But No Revelation

In What Our Fathers Did: A Nazi Legacy two sons are brought together by a shared legacy, the legacy mentioned in the title. Both are the sons of high-ranking Nazi officers.

SON OF SAUL: One Of The Most Outstanding Debuts In Recent Memory

Many filmmakers have made movies about the Holocaust, yet so few are able to portray the atrocities without either becoming exploitative by staging fictionalised versions of some of the worst scenes in recorded history, or by sanitising the events in order to ensure that audiences aren’t left shocked and devastated. Austrian director Michael Haneke has frequently gone on record to claim that the idea of making a film about the holocaust is “unspeakable”, criticising the way a movie like Schindler’s List emotionally manipulates the audience when the subject matter alone should leave every sane person feeling depressed that something like this happened in recent history. Haneke argues that Steven Spielberg staging a sequence where concentration camp prisoners are marched to the shower and then building suspense from whether or not water will come out of the shower heads is the most offensive kind of exploitation; it trivialises a shocking moment of history in order to create nothing more than an action set piece.

A Trip to Normandy and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN

I first saw Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan in the early 2000s; it was a VHS copy playing on a big old JVC television that had a similar depth to a Toyota Aygo. I have since seen Saving Private Ryan a large number of times, but my reaction to its first 25 minutes remains unchanged, a reaction of shock, recoil and deep admiration for the people who executed this excellent, transformative piece of filmmaking. My knowledge of WW2 was minimal at this time, but I roughly knew the basics.