MOVIE REVIEW: Sophie's Choice (1982)

It took me long enough, but I've truly begun to appreciate what an amazing actress Meryl Streep is. I don't need to go into paragraphs on how adroit she is at her craft, that's all been said and done. What I find amazing is how every film I've seen of hers, she's managed to captivate and hold my attention no matter what the subject matter. She easily outshines the quality of any film she's in, and I could almost watch anything pretty much for the sake of her acting. So strangely enough, I resisted seeing her Best Actress Academy Award-winning performance in Sophie's Choice because the film never really appealed to me; long, melodramatic, and depressing. But it turned out to be that, and then some.

Sophie is a Polish-Catholic immigrant to the United States, living with her mercurial and abusive partner; the Jewish-American lab assistant Nathan. When a young writer named Stingo moves into their boarding house, he becomes captivated by the couple's capricious lifestyle, but moreso by Sophie's past. She resists disclosing any details, but Stingo ultimately figures out for himself that she was a Holocaust survivor. Among her horror stories, is one that led her to make a choice that changed her life forever.

The said "choice" scene is easily the most emotionally scarring scene I've ever seen on film. It also goes without saying that Streep's performance is impeccable in this film, she comes off so chameleon-like in her role you almost cannot recognize her, save for her familiar facial features. The other performances are good as well, and the production design is excellent. While the film does feature the characteristics of melodrama that I've grown ineffectually accustomed to, I can honestly say, the main reason anyone would really watch this is for Meryl Streep. Like most of her other films, everything surrounding her is simply "good", yet she manages to steal the entire show.

7/10

Peace,
- Jon

MOVIE REVIEW: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)

Movies about the Holocaust are a cathartic experience for me; whether fact or fiction based, they always serve as a reminder to my sense of humanity and assessment of my moral compass when viewing from either perspective of the Nazis or the prisoners. It is painful to realize in the 70 years since the war began, that genocide is still a major world issue, but stories and accounts are the ray of hope that makes awareness and action possible. It is for that reason I welcomed The Boy in the Striped Pajamas with open arms, and despite minor historical liberties, manages to be an effective and powerful film with a slightly different message than those of us who are familiar with these films would expect.

In the early 1940s, young Bruno moves into the German countryside from Berlin with his affluent family after his father, a high-ranking officer in the SS, is comissioned to preside over a remote working camp. Restless from the isolation, Bruno wanders toward the camp boundaries and encounters Shmuel, a young Jewish boy the same age as him. The two bond over the bewilderment of their predicaments; their naivetee punctuated by their chance meeting occuring simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. As time passes on and the veil of secrecy from Nazi propaganda is slowly pulled away from the family's eyes, the boys also gradually become aware that the work camp is more harrowing than they expected; and tragedy looms in their wake.

In war, the first victims to suffer are generally children. We as global human society send minors to fight our battles, and brainwash those of elementary age with propaganda. The most heartbreaking thing of all is neither side, whether you're looking at the "enemy" or the "ally", typically fully understands why this is happening. That is why I felt this film struck that chord beautifully, and actually has a theme that resonates stronger with the loss of innocence as a result of the horrors of war. Sure, historical accuracies can be questioned, such as why Shmuel got away with survival in the camp for such a long period of time, but that isn't quite the film's main purpose. I was so drained after watching this film, I had to go straight to bed. But in the end, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas managed to exceed my expectations. On top of teriffic acting and a haunting score by James Horner, this is a film I will remember for a long time.

9/10

Peace,
- Jon