Na Escuridão

The subject matter of some films is so serious that it makes it difficult to assess the work in purely cinematic terms. This is especially true of real-life events that raise moral issues and there can be no bigger instance than that of the Holocaust which is every second of "In Darkness". It tells a story that would be literally incredible if it was not true: how a dissolute Polish sewer worker called Leopold Socha saved the lives of a dozen Jews by hiding them underground for months. This happened in what was during the Second World War the Polish town of Lwów and today is the Ukrainian town of Lviv. In 1978, Socha and his wife were awarded the title "Righteous among the Nations" by Yad Vashem in Israel.

The film is the work of Polish female director Agnieszka Holland and it is a Polish, German and Canadian co-production with a screenplay by Canadian writer David F. Shamoon. In any country, the film will have some subtitles, because the dialogue involves Polish, Ukrainian, Yiddish and German, and of course in English-speaking nations the whole thing is sub-titled which will limit its appeal to many, but it really is a work worth watching. Holland effectively conveys the paralysing fear and utter squalor of life in the sewers and Robert Wieckiewicz as Socha - like the other actors - shows how the unbearable stresses of such situations make people behave in ways, both good and bad, which are out of character.

"In Darkness" does not have the narrative drive and clear characterisation of "Schindler's List" but, like Spielberg's film, it is powerful movie-making and heart-wrenching storytelling.

The film tells the story of Leopold Socha, who helped Jews during the Nazi occupation of Lvov, a city in Poland. Socha is a sewer worker and one day he encounters a group of Jews trying to escape through the underground. He decides to hide them in exchange for money. It's a powerful story and center of attraction goes to Robert Wieckiewicz's character Socha. It's always hard to execute Holocaust movies and this film offers a new equation to the Holocaust films. It was Poland's entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign language film, but lost to 'A Separation'. Overall, it's a powerful film with most of the sequences shot in dark atmosphere and At the same time it's horrifying and intense too.

I saw this movie at the Savannah Film Festival in Georgia today... Going in I thought this movie would be just another holocaust movie. But it was more than just a holocaust movie the story which is based off a true story told the story of people who regardless of race are escaping from their deaths by hiding in a sewer throughout the war. I was amazed by how this movie could keep my attention throughout as seeing that it's just a group of people hiding underground but it did. It's a long movie but entertaining throughout. The story embraced these poor individuals and showed their struggles and I was amazed by the acting. I was also amazed by all the challenges that they had gone through to produce this movie and my thought of how stressful it would be to be on a set like this. As a young cinematographer myself, I was impressed by the lighting and the picture overall that was produced. I'm dying to know what lenses they used for such a beautiful film. For attending this film and not being from Georgia I heard some positive and some negative feedback from other attendees of the film. Some people had a little struggle of how long the movie was... But in my eyes I feel that it's important for the movie to be longer because these people are in a tunnel for over a year and are struggling to survive.

There have been a rash of holocaust films in recent years told from various view points and "In Darkness" is a worthy addition to the pantheon of films that re-tell the horror of the Jewish ghettos of Poland and their clearances. At a time when anti-semitic tendencies are once again beginning to emerge in various European countries it is sobering to be reminded of the consequences of the vicious hatred whipped up by the Nazis in the 30's and 40's.

While some might argue that the film is perhaps 20 minutes too long I was not aware of the time passing, being thoroughly engrossed in the attempts by a small group of Jews to survive long enough in the sewers to evade capture by either the Germans or the murderous Ukranian police force who did much to assist the Nazis in their elimination of the Jews in Poland. The scenes cut between the dankness of the sewers and the light of the streets above and whenever we are transported up from the dark and into the light, as an audience, we take gulps of fresh air.

I suspect there was some artistic licence employed but the story itself pins you to the seat and the collective sigh when the final message comes up on the screen at the very end is almost palpable.

I saw this movie at is world premier gala event at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). I must admit that I grew up hearing stories from the script writer, David Shamoon, so I may have some bias to this film. As a novice critic, this is my review: In Darkness is a touching and moving film. This is not a war movie, and it is only partly a Holocaust story. This is a human story. The memoir of one of the survivors, who is portrayed in this film, inspired the book which found its way to David then to Hollywood. Any one who sees this or has any connection to the tragedies of the Second World War will be happy that this story was told. It is unique and not like any other film portrayal that I have ever seen. You must have a stomach for seeing what survival is like when portrayed on the silver screen. You will root for some characters, bit your nails as events unfold, and sigh with relief at numerous occasions. At the end of the film you will have something to talk about with those you watched it with and those you want to recommend it to. See this film and you will be happy that you did.

As a side note, the presentation of the film at TIFF was on 10th anniversary of 9/11 and I would think that TIFF organizers chose this evening and this presentation strategically. There was also a special surprise after the movie, the survivor/writer of the original memoirs cam to stage to thank those involved and present her grand daughters. It brought tears to the audience. I have never been to a movie premier with so much applause before even when big names like Clooney are in attendance.