This is a wonderfully made film, visually arresting and very well acted - don't be concerned by the near 3 hour run-time, it does pass well.
My real problem with the film is that it seems overly fixated on subjecting the protagonist to as many depraved, inhumane people and situations as possible within the generous run-time.
Some of it is perfectly fine, entirely credible in the context of the film - of course, this is Eastern Europe during WW2, a time and place where Jews were generally loathed, and historically speaking, local populations did play a huge role in the expulsion and murder of Jews in some of these countries.
So certainly a good portion of it is entirely credible.
But all of this happening to one titular character, who encounters nothing but either sadistic, depraved people or environments, repeatedly, over, and over again, even independent of the Jewish aspect being a factor....it just struck me as a little too on the side of opportunistic exploitation.
Don't get me wrong, it's a good film and a good watch, but I feel it was just too over-done in the end and tries to hammer home a message that war, conflict and persecution are hell, rather than just let us arrive at the conclusion ourselves.
My real problem with the film is that it seems overly fixated on subjecting the protagonist to as many depraved, inhumane people and situations as possible within the generous run-time.
Some of it is perfectly fine, entirely credible in the context of the film - of course, this is Eastern Europe during WW2, a time and place where Jews were generally loathed, and historically speaking, local populations did play a huge role in the expulsion and murder of Jews in some of these countries.
So certainly a good portion of it is entirely credible.
But all of this happening to one titular character, who encounters nothing but either sadistic, depraved people or environments, repeatedly, over, and over again, even independent of the Jewish aspect being a factor....it just struck me as a little too on the side of opportunistic exploitation.
Don't get me wrong, it's a good film and a good watch, but I feel it was just too over-done in the end and tries to hammer home a message that war, conflict and persecution are hell, rather than just let us arrive at the conclusion ourselves.