Seeing 'The Zone of Interest' and 'One Life' one week apart has been a thought-provoking experience, since both concern aspects of the Holocaust and both are strikingly timely, given what's going on in the world right now.
One film aims to examine the everyday lives of a notorious mass murderer and his family, straining to absorb us into a documentary-like virtual reality experience of the quotidian concerns of mundane evil. The other seeks no such novelty, telling the remarkable story of Nicky Winton, a young English stockbroker who helped to rescue many hundreds of Czech Jewish children from the Nazis, in more conventional terms.
It's a fine film, comparable to 'Schindler's List' in content and style, also including the participation of real survivors and with a sprinkling of archival clips and photos. It's also more moving and satisfying as a film than the more highly-rated and Oscar-awarded 'Zone', which fails to deliver the impact that its director so earnestly desires, despite the plaudits. Ultimately, 'One Life' is a story of human goodness against the odds, and that's what leaves a lasting impression. Ambitious films like 'Zone' are necessary too, but if they don't really tell a story they risk leaving only an impression of emptiness and meaninglessness, not enough for a work of art unless you're very very good at it.
One film aims to examine the everyday lives of a notorious mass murderer and his family, straining to absorb us into a documentary-like virtual reality experience of the quotidian concerns of mundane evil. The other seeks no such novelty, telling the remarkable story of Nicky Winton, a young English stockbroker who helped to rescue many hundreds of Czech Jewish children from the Nazis, in more conventional terms.
It's a fine film, comparable to 'Schindler's List' in content and style, also including the participation of real survivors and with a sprinkling of archival clips and photos. It's also more moving and satisfying as a film than the more highly-rated and Oscar-awarded 'Zone', which fails to deliver the impact that its director so earnestly desires, despite the plaudits. Ultimately, 'One Life' is a story of human goodness against the odds, and that's what leaves a lasting impression. Ambitious films like 'Zone' are necessary too, but if they don't really tell a story they risk leaving only an impression of emptiness and meaninglessness, not enough for a work of art unless you're very very good at it.