Film is a beautiful way of expression and a way to reach out to the masses. Probably one of the biggest themes explored in the films is WWII and the tragedy in the atrocities committed by the Nazis. As a consumer, I personally enjoy watching films from that genre, because of the complex themes that they explore. So, I decided to share a few of my favourites. Although this is in no order of preference, it was indeed difficult to choose only three, as I would otherwise have gone into many more and in greater depth. I hope this lets you takeaway a few good films to watch in the coming weekend!
*Spoilers ahead*
Life is Beautiful
A 1997 Italian film, directed by Roberto Benigni, explores the relationship between a son and his father. The film opens with the whirlwind romance of the protagonist, Guido, and his fiancée, symbolic of the celebration of life, only in stark contrast in the second half of the film, where the family is taken to a concentration camp. The film then explores the attempts of the father to shield his son from the horrors of the camp, by premising the whole experience as a “game”, where every day gives the player a certain number of points, and the first person to reach a thousand wins and gets to go home. As the war ends chaos ensues in the camps, amidst which, Guido hides his son in a postbox and goes off to the Women’s chambers to find his wife, and in the attempt gets caught and is taken to be executed. As he walks past the same postbox, he dances, as his son looks at him and thinks he is still part of the game. The next day, as the Americans come in to liberate the camps, the survivors rush out and the boy is reunited with his mother. The scene closes as they embrace, and the narration in the first voice ends. A truly touching film and therefore I highly recommend it.
The Pianist
A 2002 film, directed by Polanski, explores the life of a Jewish Polish pianist during the war, adapted from the autobiography Holocaust memoirs of Wladyslaw Spilzman, a pianist and composer. The story evolves through him coming back to his family in hopes of receiving aid from the Allies, only to be confined in a ghetto. He is then rescued by a ghetto officer who recognizes him. He got separated from his family, lived in hiding to supply ammunition to a Jewish uprising and was almost caught by a SS officer, only to be spared because of his maestro on the piano. The officer then takes pity on him and decides to provide him with shelter in an abandoned building and supply him with food. As the war ends, the officer promises to listen to him on the radio but is then taken as a prisoner of the Soviet camps. The film grapples with power disparity and is excellently produced, as is any Polanski film. The fact that the director himself hid in a barn for the entirety of the war after having run away from Krakow ghetto, puts a personal touch to the film, and is therefore undoubtedly one of my favourites.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
A fairly well-known film, directed by Mark Herman, tells the story of a young Bruno and explores the grim reality of a concentration camp through the eyes of an eight-year-old. He and his family move into the “countryside” (occupied Poland) after his father, Ralf gets promoted. Being lonely, for having no friends in the remote, he wanders to what he thinks is a farm, which in reality is a concentration camp, and befriends another boy, Schmuel, who also has no understanding of his surroundings, and is under the impression that his father, who never came back, actually got lost in a camp march. Eventually, Bruno decides to help Schmuel find his father, and consequently enter the shower chamber in the attempt to do so. By the time Bruno’s family realises he is missing, it’s too late. Although the film has received critique for having portrayed the camps inaccurately, and for garnering attention and sympathy for the German family, I would argue that the cruelty behind the operation only becomes apparent to the family once one of their own turns out to be a victim. The irony lies in the operation that Ralf worked and got promoted for, led to his loss. Thus, I would highly recommend this film to anyone.