It’s a fearless vision for Holocaust storytelling with many open-ended issues (we don’t always know identities and positions of those we see) and few conclusions provided. Some of the specifics are drawn from “Voices from Beneath the Ashes” (edited by Ber Mark) and “Auschwitz: A Doctor’s Eyewitness Account” by Miklos Nyiszli. This is the feature film debut of director Laszlo Nemes, who also co-wrote the story with Clara Royer. Unfortunately, the timing of this mission conflicts with a planned prisoner uprising … adding more complexity to a nearly impossible quest. It seems clear that this mission is a chance to break from his soul-crushing duties and grab a bit of redemption before it’s too late. He becomes obsessed with finding a Rabbi to allow for a proper burial for the boy. Saul’s dependability as a Sonderkommando changes in the blink of an eye – he sees the body of a young boy whom he claims is his own son. Saul’s stoic face masks his true emotions and disgust, and prevents him from drawing any unwanted attention. The horrific proceedings may be blurred, but it’s a devastating experience nonetheless. Cinematographer Matyas Erdely never allows our eyes to drift … he shows us only so much, forcing our brain to process and interpret so many more clues. The shallow focus means much in our sight line is blurred, and we are exceptionally dependent on the sound – what we hear often conveys more of the message than what we see. What we soon realize is that dialogue is minimal and most of what we see is as if we were standing right beside or just behind Saul.

It’s a closer, more intimate look at a process that we have not prevented ourselves to think much on.

The reward of this position means the delay of his own inevitable death. The red X on his jacket relegates Saul to corralling the next round of Jews into the gas chamber and then cleaning up for the next group. The startling opening is a long-tracking shot featuring Saul Auslander (played by Geza Rohrig) and his duties as part of the Sonderkommando unit at 1944 Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Director Laszlo Nemes delivers a new approach … a different viewpoint … and it grabs us and doesn’t let go. Why should you purposefully agree to experience the misery and unfathomable horror that occurred? The simple answer is that we should never forget one of the darkest and inexcusable periods in human history. Not wanting to watch another movie related to the Holocaust is understandable.

Son of saul seattle