The Tattooist of Auschwitz

This was not an easy watch FOR ME. My paternal great grandparents were from Bohemia (now Slovakia previously Czechoslovakia during WW II) - they left during the 1918 pogroms. My maternal grandmother and her sister were put on an English Kindertransport ship to England (from German) after Kristallnacht in late 1938.

Lale, was what we were taught, a Kapo or Sonderkommando (you will need to watch the series to understand) I was finally able to watch this, as an adult with the necessary compassion, empathy, understanding and possibly even *forgiveness* that the Jewish people had "only 2 choices, the bad one or the worse one".

I do think they missed an opportunity to show just how bad conditions were in the camps, particularly given that Lale and Gita were in Birkenau for (I think) almost 3 years and we didn't see the brutal winters and oppressive summers or the starvation

The story is an *easy watching* Holocaust movie - an oxymoron if ever there was such a thing. It is primarily a love story with a smidgeon of brutality and depravity by the SS & Nazi's thrown in to give us a miniscule idea of life in the camps

Nonetheless, it is an important series to watch given the current rise of anti-semitism that is prevalent in the world today. It is a beautiful story filled with tenderness, love and hope

Harvey Keitel was outstanding. His performance as Lale (senior) had me sobbing. I will definitely re-watch this and even if you are not Jewish, not interested in WW II, not a fan of love stories - this is still an absolute must-watch. It is the kind of story that reminds us of the power of love and that we must never give up hope.

Beyond moved having experienced this incredible show. From the acting, music through to the raw pain and truth on display, absolutely blown away with this show. This is a true story, of one man's journey, that should be told the world over. We can never forget the horrors of the holocaust, and the Tattooist of Auschwitz is a crucial part of this.

The lengths the actors, directors and producers went to to do justice to those who endured the holocaust is commendable. Jewish actors for Jewish role, Polish for Polish etc. The piano music is also from an authentic piano from the 1940s belonging to the grandmother of the score composer. The detail in this show is phenomenal.

The initial low rating for this, 6.0, is quite perplexing. High quality drama with a real feeling of the absolute bleakness, randomness and inhumanity that existed in these camps. Yet showing human spirit and humanity amongst people treated as inhuman by their captors. Really well acted with every character having depth. I think enjoying it is probably the wrong word but it is quality tv Not quite a perfect 10, I did appreciate the value of moving beween ww2 and the present day but it was done a bit too frequently for me and disrupted the drama a bit. And old Lali had an accent which young Lali didnt..did he develop it in Australia?

I only watched this series as I was sitting at home in the rain and I was a bit bored.

Thank god I did as it engaged through every minute as a beautiful and haunting piece of art and searingly honest in its meticulous presentation.

I was born in 1941 and obviously only a baby during the time of Auschwitz but somehow the series attached me from that shared time.

I read a stunning review by Chris Jones which says everything I wanted to say but in a much better way. Here is part of his review but I strongly recommend you read his whole review.

REVIEW: Come with me on a journey through history, where THE TATTOOIST OF AUSCHWITZ charts a course through the shadows and lights of human resilience. This series captures the full spectrum of emotions in the life of Lali Sokolov, a man whose scars from the past are as profound as his victories over them. Everything about this series will make you think and feel, making you question how so many people had the incredible strength to overcome and persevere.

We're introduced to a young Lali, played by Jonah Hauer-King, who arrives at Auschwitz and is immediately handed the grave responsibility of tattooing prisoners with a permanent reminder of what has become one of the most disheartening "memories" in world history. This role tests every fiber of his moral being. Amid this darkness, he encounters Gita, whose role is filled with strength and grace by Anna Próchniak. Their love story blossoms under the strict and menacing gaze of Nazi officer Stefan Baretzki, chillingly portrayed by Jonas Nay.

The series doesn't just linger in the past; it also explores Lali's later years. Harvey Keitel takes on the role, bringing a layered and poignant performance as he decides to open up about his torturous past to Heather Morris, a character given depth by Melanie Lynskey's portrayal. This framing adds a reflective dimension to the series, making the audience ponder the enduring effects of Lali's traumatic experiences. The journey from the past to the present is a powerful way to show this trip through time and the scars left on a human soul.

I cannot understand people who downvote this because Melanie Lynskey's Australian accent is bad. Really? That's what you are concentrating on? Wooden acting? Do you expect people in that situation to be exuberant?

In a time when young people get their historical "knowledge" from TikTok and Facebook, it is very important that these events are not forgotten. It may not change the attitude of die-heart holocaust deniers but may inform some people who are on the fence.

Holocaust deniers and their supporters on X have to be counteracted with these first-hand accounts. Of course it is not a documentary but partially fictionalized but that is ok.

Having seen one of these tattoos myself, this is an excellent series that is especially needed with the rise in antisemitism.