Say it isn't so, Joe. But this film from the French novel, Sara's Key by French novelist, De Rosnay's seems more intent on acquitting her native land's citizens in a hold "harmless" verdict than telling a realistic story of French collaboration with the Nazi's for no other apparent reason than their own belief that their country too would be better off without a Jewish population as well as Germany. This phenomenon which in many countries still in Europe has left its attitudes behind even today is one of the most tragic and psychotic episodes of WWII Europe. But as the author, director and actress Kristin Scott Thomas all conspire to do is to reach the verbalization of the age old question "What would you have done"? In reference to the question would you turn your neighbors over to the Nazi's to be murdered or would you have taken the higher road and posed a resistance to the holocaust implementation? In it's acquittal of Nazi collaborators and outright Anti-Semites in 1942 France, it not only indites the guilty but accuses France's present citizens of Antisemitism. I think the guilty get off too easily and the present French citizens are all unfairly called Nazi Sympathizers. It's like saying all hippies in the 60's are guilty of the Manson murders and that all fans of Classic Rock music have the same philosophies of the murderers. If this case was brought forward even in a French court, the judge and jury would conclude that the premise of this movie does not relate to the conclusions. This is not only a story flaw but it leads the director into several misguided plot errors. i.e. Why does the Title of the novel get resolved in just half the movie? The audience is left with the question, What is the purpose of the second half of this movie? The hard questions are all disregarded and in a benign way the movie comes off as mildly preachy. Watch History Channel for the history of these issues of Nazi collaboration by European citizens or read the much better more realistic Novel The Glass Room.
Review of Sarah's Key
