In Darkness Reviews and Ratings


  • Khefren
    May 26, 2012
    Khefren
    In Darkness is a suspenseful melodrama with a significant and powerful story of survival. Intensely moving, beautifully shot, and naturally acted. The film brings a credible scenario that will make you stay intrigued. Unforgettable foreign film, well-deserved awards and nominations.
  • fb678785402
    May 26, 2012
    fb678785402
    'In Darkness' proved to be a worthy Polish contender against the foreign film winner A Separation. This film to me is a more successful version of 'Schindler's List' - also similar in terms of the portrayal of an unlikely hero who had no reason to save the Jews but did.

    Why so?... read more Schindler's List covered a much wider span, all above ground, also a longer time as well, and yet failed miserably as it chose to tone down ALOT of what could have happened in reality given the weight of the situation. I expected more from it as it is not even realistically close to some of the other commendable Holocaust-related matter work of art, including Band of Brothers. However this film focuses not on the atrocities in the surface, but more on the intricate details in its core matter - things happening underground. Roughly half of the film happens inside the sewers, but with enough details that reminded me of "Hunger" even though they are not full-fledged in my opinion. We not only get to know the conflicts between the hero, his non-Jew community and the Jews, but also the portrayal of the Jews themselves which is by far the most 'normalized' of all the Jews in other Holocaust movies (i.e. not overly depressed or in a state of hopelessness, they actually hate each other, some of them are annoying/ traitors/ greedy etc).

    I too believe things are pretty toned down as well in this film, as living under the sewers in such a situation where the water unusable, the stench unbearable (and augmented by the dead bodies), absence of light, hygiene and proneness to diseases/fatal accidents could easily cause multiple levels of discord and unwanted psychological behaviours. I have read that the director deviated from the real account a little as some of the characters 'killed' are actually survivors today. But in a way, maybe it is for the better as the film is already disturbing enough. Also, some of the scenes done above ground are a little bit flawed or unnatural...hence I could not grant a rating above 4. But all in all, this is a well made Holocaust film but it is also a film about humanity much better than average.
  • vadermccandless
    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.
  • threenails10
    April 14, 2012
    threenails10
    Never has a movie set during the holocaust ever been as effective as it is here since Steven Spielbergs, 'Schindler's List'. For me, I think this was a bit better or equal to it, mostly based on the fact that this feels more real than most movies I've seen. Just everything about ... read moreit was very moving and heartbreaking and just...real. It's after seeing this film that will make whoever see's it never want to tell another 'jew' joke again. It's incredible what they go through here, and our hero who the story is mostly centred around, is in a lot of ways parallel to, Schindler in some ways, although, the true story here is a lot more small in scale. Either way, it's heart and effort here is pitch perfect throughout. I couldn't keep my eyes off the screen in this, and although this is very tough stuff to watch, I was engaged all the way through. Never a dull moment. Very intense as well. Don't miss this one. Definitely one of the top films of 2011.
  • jdanielp
    March 30, 2012
    jdanielp
    A greedily exploitative sewer worker agrees to a deal to hide and feed a desperate group of Jews as the Nazis start to clean out the ghettos in the Polish town of Lvov, but finds himself questioning his motives as the situation worsens, in this bleak and claustrophobic, yet fairl... read morey emotionally unengaging, war drama.
  • fb720603734
    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.
  • ourprez
    March 2, 2012
    ourprez
    A chillingly realistic film of a real Polish Holocaust story with great acting and perfect film grammar.
  • InfamousHugo
    February 21, 2012
    InfamousHugo
    One could complain that there are too many movies about WWII, and that person would be absolutely right. Despite being based on real events (once again), In Darkness feels way too conventional, you know how it'll evolve and how it'll end. It's not a bad movie though. Sure,... read more it would have helped if the characters had been developed more and we actually got to know them, so we could care a little bit more if they live or die and maybe the ending would have been more emotional that way. On a plus side, the cinematography is quite pretty.
  • neelvparmar
    January 26, 2012
    neelvparmar
    i like this movie name now i am ready to see it!:)

Summary

In Darkness Summary