I was finally able to catch Son of Saul just two days after its win at the Oscars for Best Foreign Language Film. It is a very strong piece that takes a rather unique approach to the Holocaust drama. Rather than paint a picture of the setting through wide angles and helicopter shots as other directors might, Hungarian filmmaker Laszlo Nemes keeps the camera focused solely on Saul (Geza Rohrig), a prisoner working as a member of the Sonderkommando at one of Auschwitz's crematoriums. Forced to gas his own people, Saul's guilt catches up with him and prompts him to rescue a boy who survived the chamber. After the boy is killed by an attending Nazi physician, Saul spends his time in search of a rabbi willing to help him bury the child whom he's taken as a son in death. All the while, the prisoners plot a rebellion.
It's interesting how you get a vivid portrait of the setting even with such an intimate perspective. The grunge and the horror of the camp is seen through Saul's facial expressions and body language. All credit to Rohrig on a masterful lead performance. If he had been nominated for Best Actor last Sunday, he probably would have won.
Things get pretty tense in the film's last 20-30 minutes as the riots begin. Other than that, this is a very deliberately paced film that requires patience. It didn't provide me much to get invested in during the first hour. For that, I'd say fellow Foreign Language Film contenders Mustang and Embrace of the Serpent are more worthy of your time and praise let alone the Oscar. Maybe Son of Saul didn't deserve the award, but it's still a unique cinematic experience that breathes new life into the tired WWII/Holocaust drama.
B+
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