Streaming services have spoiled me. We still like to watch movies, but usually from the comfort of our home. I like having the control over the pause button when I need a bathroom-break and free popcorn. Today we went to a real theater, it's only the second time in about four years to watch a movie in a theater for us, and I am glad we went.
I shouldn't be surprised but the theater was only about 20% full, I think we as a culture have gotten out of the habit of going to the theater. That is neither here nor there, I'm glad we went today because it would be a shame to wait to see One Life.
I'm glad Tammy discovered the release of a true life story turned into a movie "One Life," starring none other than Anthony Hopkins. I typically do not cry while watching a movie, but here I did. The WWII story of Nicky Winton rescuing over 600 Czech children from the Nazi Holocaust was well done, it was memorable, and it should cause anyone watching it to enter into some serious self-reflection.
In a race against time, paper-pusher stock market office man Winton agonizes over how to move as many children to safety as possible. This is not an action movie, Hopkins is often nerdy and feeble, and it's not driven by dialogue either. Hopkins shuffles around from room to room, a prisoner of his memories and frustrated with the inability to have rescued more children than he did. Hardly the stuff of The Oscars.
You won't be dazzled by the movie-sets, the soundtrack, or the dialogue. The character of the character is the point, the compassionate crusader who won't give up is the driving force of the story. He fights bureaucracy , he raises money, he hounds people, he helps find foster homes, and his devotion to make a difference because he can, is moving. He is compelled to do the right thing, how refreshing...
Hopkins was the protagonist of the movie, but the real heroes were the folks behind the scenes. The brave risktakers, the men and women secretly organizing the efforts in Prague to get the children to England as the Nazi war machine gained momentum, and of course the ones who opened their homes and took in the children, these were the real heroes.
The movie is a stark reminder of how callous and how indifferent we can be to the suffering of the faceless crowds. We are slow to alleviate the suffering of helpless people or to combat the forces of evil. It is not a feel good movie, it is not an inspirational or motivational movie per se, there is no hype or hard-sell, it a soft-sell, undersold, lowkey pitch: You can and you should help, that is the message, or the moral of the story as the old saying goes.
There has been enough time & ample distance from the Holocaust that unfortunately we are either numb to it or we have forgotten about the brutality, the hostility, the horror of unspeakable crimes against humanity that took place in the camps It is fitting that a movie like this, without polarizing us or politicizing anything, keeps the terrible memory alive and in so doing prompts us to assess our own character.
This is not a negative complaint or a critique of the movie, instead what I'm about to say is more a reflection on us. The storyline of One Life (rightful so) just sort of plods along, offers lackluster dialogue, and is slow-paced. I'm glad it was the way it was. Why? Riveting plots get in the way, they cloud powerful messages, and this movie packed a powerful message that is timeless and relevant.
Yes it had great acting from Hopkins, yes there were great lines, but the whole production was window-dressing. The real value was the underlying message of the movie, not the movie itself. The movie was just the container, the story of Winton was the worthwhile content.
The movie doesn't attack Nazi Germany as one would expect, it attacks our comfort zone. If the cast or the script stole the spotlight, the movie wouldn't be worth my time to blog about it. To be clear, I am highly recommending the movie, please go see it as soon as possible, just know this, this movie is more than likely considered boring by Hollywood standards, there's nothing scandalous in it except our apathy and inactivity.
The movie confronts us on an ethical level, in a healthy and calm manor, it doesn't judge the audience it only asks that you as the audience judge your own self. One Life opens our mind to the fact that ordinary people can do the extraordinary when we listen to our conscience instead of culture.
No comments:
Post a Comment