Son of Saul

I quite enjoyed the inner conflict of the main character in the first half because I actually experienced it too. I wondered for a long time if it was rational to devote my energy to a dead child in such moving circumstances ("because of the dead you forgot about the living"), only to realize later that the central character often really doesn't give a damn about any rationality. Son of Saul is an extremely intimate portrait of a broken man for whom the self-destructive and quite obviously irrational (given the situation) need for a ritualistic act becomes the only life purpose. The extremely evocative POV cinematography and (thankfully) mostly out-of-focus shots of human carnage are quite disturbing, and the atmosphere of pervasive evil and death radiates from the screen in a way that's not pretty. [80%] (29/11/2020)

Watching Son of Saul was such an intense and profound experience for me that I was unable to write an immediate comment about it. The filmmakers managed to create such a high level of authenticity within the genre that I consider surpassing it practically impossible. It's a naturalistic visit to hell as if you were suddenly immersed in hot water in a cauldron, and for almost two hours, you felt the devastating effects of sulfur, flames, and smoke on your body. Son of Saul captures 24 hours of the bitter existence of a Sonderkommando member in an extermination concentration camp. We observe the world through the eyes of a dulled and exhausted man who has experienced so much horror in recent months that, due to a defense mechanism of his psyche, he perceives the surrounding world as if in partial anesthesia through filters, completely detached. However, a meeting with a boy who miraculously survived being in the gas chamber awakens human emotions in him. Because his options are extremely limited, he clings to something that seems irrational at first glance, to an act that his fellow inmates do not understand. He does his best to organize a dignified farewell to the deceased in accordance with Jewish traditions, within the limits of what he can do. Son of Saul is an unpleasant and depressing film that cannot be recommended for casual viewing. It requires a certain level of sensitivity, and the ability to capture details and infer what is suggested. On the other hand, it is not deeply encrypted either, and reading some comments left me somewhat confused. Seriously, is it really that difficult to understand what happened with Saul's son and the rabbi? Personally, I consider it to be one of the most powerful film experiences ever. Overall impression: 95%. (04/05/2017)

The interesting style of camerawork strongly reminded me of Resident Evil 4. I also liked the sound, which had a very intense effect on me, perhaps in connection with the camera. Otherwise, I was quite disappointed. Initially, the film felt very realistic to me. But the next thing I know, I'm watching the Sonderkommando in full action while the lead is standing in the middle of the room, staring blankly, and nothing’s happening. I was just waiting for one of the guards to go get him a coffee and a cigarette. Compared to similar films, it definitely loses out to The Grey Zone. (21/06/2016)

The European film event of the year, which after months of anticipation, and also due to its immediate status as a unique auteur work, left me with slightly mixed impressions. Formally, it's undoubtedly very impressive; the intimacy of the camera, which could be described as documentary-like, focusing on the immediate circle of the surrounding chaotic hell, the absence of music or any upbeat sounds, and finally the "stripped down" performance of the silent protagonist bring to the world of film a hitherto untamed, visually deliberately austere but overwhelmingly naturalistic view of the Nazi murder machine, so different from many Hollywood melodramas. The opening minutes will bring to their knees anyone capable of the least empathy. Unfortunately, the film lasts 107 minutes, during which it retains all of its exceptional character traits, but the script is not always enough to fully meet such high stylistic and ideological ambitions, and the subplots about the revolt and the actual running of Auschwitz somehow seep through the main thematic line in an indifferent, inconsistent and confusing way (which may be considered intentional, but I simply grew tired of this approach after the opening minutes). That said, the feeling of hopelessness and suffering is omnipresent and at least in this respect Son of Saul also fulfils its mission to perfection. 75% (07/04/2016)

Just as strongly as the opening half-hour impressed me, I was (except for the very end) put off by the following hour, drawn out and full of situations that seemed, by and large, too far-fetched. Of course, I don't know how things were in the extermination camps, and it's quite possible that such things could have happened there, but the constant moving of the body, the moving from one ward to another, the excuses... It was a bit too fantastic for my taste and the realistic concept was just too much. Despite all the criticisms (one of which would be directed at the creators of the Czech subtitles, who God knows why, didn't translate everything and I had the feeling that I missed something important, because I can only say segedýn in Hungarian), I can't deny the film's absolutely fantastic processing, the idea "Let's make the viewer feel like the main character.", the repulsively impressive cinematography, and the excellently done sound, which simply cannot be the same at home in front of the computer or TV as in a cinema full of unsettled people. If I ever get the courage, I'll watch it again. But now I'd rather have another comedy, please. (24/02/2016)