Wednesday 24 February 2016

Film Review: Son of Saul


An impressive directorial debut from Hungarian filmmaker Laszlo Nemes, Son of Saul explores a day in the life of a single captive Jew in the infamous Auschwitz concentration camp. 

Forced under threat of death to dispose of gas chamber victims, Saul Ausländer (Géza Röhrig) and his fellow Sonderkommando (work detail) are formulating a plot to escape captivity when a horrifying and life-changing discovery offers Saul another way out.

Amongst the all-enveloping horror and turmoil, Nemes threads a touching and heartbreaking narrative of moral survival and solace. Unafraid to showcase the mechanical nature of death inside Auschwitz, Nemes also draws from themes human strength and adversity to craft this emotionally shattering and chilling character study. Not only that, but the accomplished filmmaking is guaranteed to render you speechless – for all the right reasons.

Shot on 40mm lens and in a thin 1.375:1 aspect ratio, Son of Saul’s purposefully narrow field of vision and shallow focus creates an often claustrophobic, suffocating and intense cinematic experience. We view most of the film through handheld medium close-ups of Saul’s face, profile and silhouette; the camera only deviates to another subject on occasion, which allow other technical elements to come to the fore, such as the impeccable sound design and mixing.

Nemes and sound designer Tamás Zányi have composed a layered sensory experience outside the frame that allows the audience to gain a clearer picture of the world around Saul. Rich cinematography from Mátyás Erdély works in tandem with these elements to complete a lush, arresting and deeply disturbing audio-visual journey through one of humankind’s darkest chapters.

The Verdict: 8/10


Deeply affecting and most importantly, necessary - Son of Saul is a mightily impressive debut from Nemes and a powerful examination of the Holocaust.

Son of Saul is in cinemas across Australia from this Thursday.

This review was originally published over at Hooked on Film, a Perth based website where you can find even more new release movie reviews, features, interviews and insight. Click here to check it out.

4 comments:

  1. This is a very impressive debut indeed, but man is this film heavy. I'm not sure if I could ever watch it again. Great review!

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, very tough stuff. Necessary though. Thanks for commenting! :)

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  2. Nice review! There seems to be nothing good reviews for this one. I haven't decided to watch it as of yet, but it seems worth it.

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    Replies
    1. It's really great, but seriously tough going. Really hits you hard!

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