In Darkness (2011) Reviews

• Truly wonderful. The work of this film is brilliant.

  brian-morgan-680-2734032011-11-02

  I saw this movie at the Savannah Film Festival in Georgia today... Going in I thought this movie would be just another holocaust movie. But it was more than just a holocaust movie the story which is based off a true story told the story of people who regardless of race are escaping from their deaths by hiding in a sewer throughout the war. I was amazed by how this movie could keep my attention throughout as seeing that it's just a group of people hiding underground but it did. It's a long movie but entertaining throughout. The story embraced these poor individuals and showed their struggles and I was amazed by the acting. I was also amazed by all the challenges that they had gone through to produce this movie and my thought of how stressful it would be to be on a set like this. As a young cinematographer myself, I was impressed by the lighting and the picture overall that was produced. I'm dying to know what lenses they used for such a beautiful film. For attending this film and not being from Georgia I heard some positive and some negative feedback from other attendees of the film. Some people had a little struggle of how long the movie was... But in my eyes I feel that it's important for the movie to be longer because these people are in a tunnel for over a year and are struggling to survive.

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• There is bright light in the darkness

  LukeRolbiecki2012-02-28

  I watched this movie a few days back and I'm still contemplating what I saw. It took me a while until I decided to watch it. I thought I saw enough movies about The Second World War and about The Holocaust in particular. But after watching it I was almost ashamed that I could think like this. It's not like I'm ignorant, I just think that movies about war are always too simple – so I prefer to read books rather than watch movies. But this movie is different. I was touched very deeply and I don't regret any second spent on watching it. The script is focused around the characters and maybe that is the strongest part of it. The war is only the background. We see how people can change and how they act when the tension around is almost unbearable. We see the brightest and the darkest side of humanity. And maybe what is most important here, we see common people. Without guns, without any special abilities – true, honest characters with all their doubts, needs and desires. Only the circumstances are not common, so our characters try to deal with them. The word "our" characters is not an accident. I felt very close to these characters – bad or good, it didn't matter – they were almost naked in their emotions. And I think it's very true: in the horror of the war you don't have the time or the strength to hide behind some kind of curtain. No matter to what God we pray, what language we speak, in the end we are all human – and it's our choice, what we make of our humanity. Preferably watch it in the movie theater. Only then it is possible to experience the grand play of lights and the perfect work of the camera. In this movie also this aspect has its strong impact on the viewer. I would say while watching this movie, I felt like I was in the very same place as our characters. It's very rare for me to have such feelings, so for me it's the best proof that this movie is in some way exceptional. I thought how I would act in situations the characters are in and I'm glad that I haven't been and I hope I never will be. And I keep thinking that I'm very thankful for the creators, producers and the whole crew for this movie!

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• Excellent film - Difficult to Watch on Many Levels

  ligonlaw2012-01-04

  "In Darkness" is the true story of a man who saved a dozen Jews in Poland after the Nazi invasion, which started World War II, put all Jewish people in mortal danger. Much of this film takes place in the sewers under the city of Lvov where our protagonist is a sewer worker. He is the most knowledgeable person in town about the underworld. The world beneath the city is a kind of dark, wet hell, and Leopold Sucha, our tour guide, shows "his jews" around like Ovid guided Dante through the "Inferno." In addition to slogging around in unclean waters, the cast fights off a lot of rats. Rats are ubiquitous, crawling around in most of the scenes. This is not a heart-warming, feel-good film. This film succeeds in making the viewer feel very uncomfortable most of the time. As the Nazis begin to close down the Ghetto, a few men are seen digging under the floor of their home, attempting to create an escape route into the city sewer system. They do so just in the nick of time. The Nazi's are rounding up everyone as their friends and neighbors slide through a narrow hole into the sewer system. As harshly as this film portrays the cold-blooded Nazi's, the film does not draw sentimental portraits of the victims either. One is hard- pressed to find heroism in the victims. Bickering, fighting and selfishness surface quickly to create more tension. At times, the fights and yelling are at exactly the wrong moment and could doom the group. Caught between Nazi's he doesn't like and the "his Jews" who he doesn't care much about at first, Sucha tries to make extra money by hiding the refugees from the Ghetto and charging them for food and essentials. He is conflicted at first, but the unrelenting savageness of the Nazi occupiers eventually turns Sucha toward a more sympathetic view of the people in his care. They do not make it easy. They accuse him of betrayal, attempt to kill him and do unspeakable things themselves. It would have been possible to forgive him if he had given up on them, but his own decency begins to turn him toward the salvation of "his Jews." A reluctant hero, he risks his life and takes great risks to keep them safe from Nazis and natural disasters. The movie is complex because there are so many character conflicts, so many nationalities and so many languages being spoken. The characters are not black and white, good and evil. There are times when the complexity becomes disorienting. Unwise actions of the characters and the sense of danger make you squirm. And, well, the sewer is a really dark, filthy place to live for 14 months. It's difficult to watch, but it is worth seeing.

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• A Touching and Moving Film

  samlapidus2011-09-12

  I saw this movie at is world premier gala event at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). I must admit that I grew up hearing stories from the script writer, David Shamoon, so I may have some bias to this film. As a novice critic, this is my review: In Darkness is a touching and moving film. This is not a war movie, and it is only partly a Holocaust story. This is a human story. The memoir of one of the survivors, who is portrayed in this film, inspired the book which found its way to David then to Hollywood. Any one who sees this or has any connection to the tragedies of the Second World War will be happy that this story was told. It is unique and not like any other film portrayal that I have ever seen. You must have a stomach for seeing what survival is like when portrayed on the silver screen. You will root for some characters, bit your nails as events unfold, and sigh with relief at numerous occasions. At the end of the film you will have something to talk about with those you watched it with and those you want to recommend it to. See this film and you will be happy that you did. As a side note, the presentation of the film at TIFF was on 10th anniversary of 9/11 and I would think that TIFF organizers chose this evening and this presentation strategically. There was also a special surprise after the movie, the survivor/writer of the original memoirs cam to stage to thank those involved and present her grand daughters. It brought tears to the audience. I have never been to a movie premier with so much applause before even when big names like Clooney are in attendance.

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• The movie is the Polish Oscar entry....

  ezager-12012-01-09

  While there have been other movies dealing with Holocaust this one is unique in its complexity. It takes place in Lvov, town populated by a number of ethnic groups which had coexisted in an uneasy truce in a sort of a Tower of Babel which first the Russian and then the German occupations easily destroyed. The mix of peoples is apparent by the mix of languages spoken: Polish, Yiddish, Ukrainian, German . The subtitles by the way are excellent and easy to follow. The movie shows the risks involved in helping Jews under the German occupation a very important but often forgotten point. Heart wrenching scenes caused more than one person to wipe their tears in this Polish audience. The humanity of Socha the imperfect hero makes him one of the most heart warming characters that I recall. This movie is a thriller, a morality tale and in some ways reminds one of a classic Western where honor, justice and love survive under most adverse circumstances.

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