In Darkness

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  March 5, 2012

  gator681

  Leopold(Robert Wieckiewicz) and Stefek(Krzysztof Skonieczny) are a pair of thieves operating in Nazi occupied Lvov in 1942. One day, in the sewers where Leopold works his day job, they hear a noise which turns out to be from the ghetto with the Jews planning on using the sewers ... read morefor a hiding place of their own. Leopold agrees to help for 500 a day and then later feels he should have asked for more. But before any plans can be solidified by Leopold and his new clients, the Nazis put their plans into effect of liquidating the ghetto, forcing him into action. So, it's good that he recently renewed the acquaintance of Mundek(Benno Furmann), a Ukrainian officer who he knew from jail, who is allied with the Nazis. But even with the unintentional help, Leopold soon realizes there are too many to care for properly and puts the upper limit at 11.
  
  Incredibly based on a true story, "In Darkness" splits its story between above and below ground, with differing results between technical and dramatic spheres. I applaud the movie for going with natural lighting as much as possible below ground, making the claustrophobia and darkness characters themselves, while taking advantage of sudden shifts in elevation to emphasize the refugees' condition with a judicious deployment of rats. And it did seem brighter than usual when I left the movie theater.
  
  On the other hand, in an attempt to detail the lives below ground, the movie veers too closely to soap opera at times, instead of concentrating on the details that make survival possible. By comparison, Leopold evolves from someone who does the right thing for the wrong reason to someone who cares below the surface, with a face that only a mother or his wife(Kinga Preis) could love. This all just goes to show you that we all wish the best in humanity, even in a time of atrocities being committed just out of sight.

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• 
  
  March 4, 2012

  fb720603734

  Nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 2012 Academy Awards, Agnieszka Holland's IN DARKNESS, is the poor man's SCHINDLER'S LIST, and I mean that as a high compliment. Now don't get me wrong. I think Spielberg made a masterpiece with his Shoah epic, but Holland earns astute emot... read moreions and mines similar themes yet in a more intimate setting. Based on the true story of a Polish sewer worker who charged a small group of Jewish refugees a daily fee to squat in the filthy sewers beneath the city.
  
  The title of the film is apt, as so much of it takes place in utter darkness. At almost two and a half hours in length, we feel every minute of their intensely long hiding. Like Schindler, our main character, Leopold Socha, played wonderfully by Robert Wieckiewicz, is an opportunist rather than a Jewish sympathizer. In fact, his anti-semitism is much more overt than Schindler's. On the other hand, his wife Wanda, an incredible Kinga Preis, is much more liberal at the outset, but wants to turn her back on the Jews when she fears for her life and that of her family. Their story is so searing, so vivid and unsentimental. It's no wonder I was more drawn to it than to the lives of the various Jews here. While all terrific actors who are given one horrifying scene after another to endure, their plight isn't as layered as that of Socha.
  
  There is one exception, and it's played by Benno Furmann, who is the love child of a Patrick Wilson/Josh Lucas bromance. Playing a man who leaves the sewers to escape INTO a concentration camp to save someone's life, he has leading man written all over her face. He easily commands the screen in all of his scenes.
  
  One of my all-time favorite critics, Roger Ebert, dismissed this film by saying that we've seen it all before. As much as I respect his opinion, I disagree. Usually films about this period in history tend to glorify the Jewish characters and they make every moment epic. IN DARKNESS does just the opposite. The Jews are just as flawed as any other characters here, as flawed as anybody would be when facing unreal, desperate circumstances. This is not a hyped up film. Something as simple as rainfall becomes an exciting action sequence, but it's played with an ingenious, dispassionate touch that Holland has always brought to her work.

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• 
  
  May 22, 2012

  vadermccandless

  What the fuck? Does the Holocaust need to be sexy? The ending is emotional, but the film doesn't entirely earn it. Instead it rides on our memories and cultural histories with the Holocaust while showing us a totally bland story. Wieckiewicz is often excellent however, and a few ... read moremoments do manage to stand out as authentic both viscerally and emotionally.

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  March 2, 2012

  ourprez

  A chillingly realistic film of a real Polish Holocaust story with great acting and perfect film grammar.

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• In Darkness
• In Darkness: Leave It, It's For The Jews
• In Darkness: Socha Makes A Deal
• In Darkness: Socha Dodges A Bullet
• In Darkness: Family
• In Darkness: Even Jesus?
• In Darkness: A Surprise In The Sewers
• In Darkness: If You Find Any Jews (Uk)
• In Darkness: Where Is Your Hat?
• In Darkness: You Look A Little Too Healthy (Uk)