Jun. 11, 2015|Hungary|107 Min.|R
Genre: Drama;Thriller;War
Description: “Son of Saul,” a 2015 Hungarian drama film directed by László Nemes, marks his feature directorial debut. Co-written by Nemes and Clara Royer, the movie is set in the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II. It follows a day and a half in the life of Saul Ausländer, portrayed by Géza Röhrig, a Hungarian member of the Sonderkommando.
The film debuted at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Grand Prix, and was also featured in the Special Presentations section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. It went on to win the award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards, making it the ninth Hungarian film nominated for the honor and the second to win, following István Szabó’s “Mephisto” in 1981. Additionally, it became the first Hungarian film to win the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film.
Set in October 1944, the story revolves around Saul Ausländer, a Jewish-Hungarian prisoner forced to work as a Sonderkommando in Auschwitz. His duties include salvaging valuables from the clothing of the deceased, removing bodies from gas chambers, and cleaning the chambers for the next group of victims. Emotionally numb from the daily horrors, Saul insists on personally taking a body to Miklós, a fellow Hungarian prisoner and forced assistant to Josef Mengele.
Amidst this, Saul overhears discussions of an uprising against the SS guards led by Sonderkommando Abraham and Oberkapo Biederman. Their plan involves photographing the camp’s atrocities using a camera found among the belongings of earlier victims and smuggling the images outside to garner attention and support. Saul seeks another rabbi and learns of “the Renegade,” a Greek rabbi who has lost his faith.
The film is a profound exploration of survival, morality, and resilience in the face of unimaginable suffering.
Cast director: László Nemes
Cast actor: Géza Röhrig, Levente Molnár, Urs Rechn, Todd Charmont, Jerzy Walczak II, Balázs Farkas, Gergö Farkas, Sándor Zsótér, Marcin Czarnik, Levente Orbán
Original name: Saul fia