'Sarah's Key' Review: another Holocaust movie, but with a fresh heart

Sarah's Key (2010)

Directed by: Gilles Paquet-Brenner

Starring: Kristin Scott Thomas, Mélusine Mayance, Niels Arestrup, Michel Duchaussoy

Based on the much-loved novel by Tatiana de Rosnay, Sarah’s Key is a French drama that swings between 1940s Paris and the modern day to weave the tale of a young Jewish girl persecuted in the Vel’ d’Hiv, and the woman who finds herself obsessed with her story.

Ordered by the Nazis to reduce the Jewish population in occupied France in 1942, the French authorities went on a mass arrest; imprisoning thousands of French Jews in a Parisian velodrome under inhuman conditions. In Tatiana de Rosney’s fictional tale Sarah’s Key a 10-year-old girl named Sarah attempts to save her younger brother Michel before she is taken away; locking him in the closet and making him promise not to leave until she returns. When the prisoners are moved to concentration camps and split up, Sarah realises she must escape if she is to be in with a chance of freeing Michel.

Meanwhile in the present, an American journalist names Julia Jarmond (the ever-glorious Kristin Scott-Thomas) is beginning to research a piece surrounding the inhuman events of 1940s Paris. When she and her husband inherit a small flat in the city itself, she soon finds herself woven into young Sarah's story, unable and unwilling to free herself from it for reasons she can't decipher.

Sarah’s Key could easily be yet another WW2 movie, lost among the brilliance of such releases asThe Pianist, The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas and Schindler’s list, yet it manages to feel relevant and fresh. For a start, the Nazis are not the explicit enemy, and even though it is the French authorities that round up the Jews, even they are not the focus. The spotlight, rather, is on history; the past ebbing into the present, and how it is that those we have never known can change who we are. That being said, there are several moments that send shivers through your body, akin to looking at the piles of shoes gathered from Auschwitz victims or the miles of white headstones that mark the WWI battlefields. The unimaginable scale of the Vel’D’Hiv brought vividly to the screen, but first and foremost Sarah’s Key serves the needs of its story rather than of its emotive context – and is all the better for it.

Scott Thomas is in her element as Julia, and carries the present-day section of the movie strongly. She is let down by those let’s-get-the-history-straight moments in her editor’s office and those token we’re-young-and-ignorant characters that supposedly exist in order to conveniently fill in a historically-clueless audience. Ok, those scenes may be necessary (I’d never heard the details of the Vel’ d’Hiv) but sadly the script is never quite strong enough to do away with the faint air of pragmatism.

As for the young French actress, Mélusine Mayance, her performance as the determined and intelligent Sarah is beautiful and believable. She must quickly learn about the nature of her surroundings in order to make her ruthless return journey to Paris. As she grows into an adult, haunted by her past, that heightened misery never leaves her character – and this air is something that connects her to the equally determined twenty-first century Julia.

In a way that is necessary for films that deal with tragedy, Gilles Paquet-Brenner is unafraid of bringing the brutality of the events of the Holocaust to the forefront. It risks cliché but with sensitive acting and an absorbing storyline that weaves the past and the present so successfully,Sarah’s Key is far more than just a history lesson.

Also posted on Best For Film - http://bestforfilm.com/film-reviews/drama/sarahs-key/

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'Sarah's Key'.

Re-Building Broken Britain with Broken Hearts

Small Island - Andrea Levy

Award-winning novel, Small Island, is the moving tale of the black and white divide between people in England shortly after World War II. Following four characters, two Jamaican, two English, Levy explores the effects of the war, the disillusionment of those seeking a better life in Britain and the difficulties of love and prejudice.

Recently made into a BBC TV series, Small Island has recently received a new lease of life. The novel was critically acclaimed upon its initial release, but the popularity of TV has allowed people to rediscover this wonderful book.

Split into chapters told from the point of view of the four main characters, reading about their hopes, fears and darkest secrets alligns you strangely with none of them. You learn to love them as you share their experiences but you also can't help but dislike a little aspect of each one of them; one's stubborness, another's grumpiness and some pretentiousness force you to look at what is surrounding these characters. Levy looks at the difficulties post-war Britain faced as it simultaneously tried to rebuild itself as well accepting the new arrivals from overseas.

Nevertheless, this book feels far from preachy as it is not entirely focused on racism. The most striking element of the novel is not just the difficulty that people of different races had with loving and liking each other, Levy also looks at the problems that men and women must overcome in order to love one another. The two women of the story, Hortense from Jamaica and Queenie from England make tough, selfish and selfless decisions throughout their lives and still struggle to live with the men they marry. Yet, despite appearances, their ability to love links these two incredibly different women forever in a way they can never realise.

It is Levy's ability to divulge the characters' secrets to her readers, but not to the other characters themselves that makes this the beautiful story that it is. Sometimes you feel that if everyone told the truth, everything would become clearer and more simple - of course, life is rarely that easy. This novel is steeped in reality and the author subtly proves that bigger issues, as well as pure human nature, sometimes get in the way of the truth. Social obligations mould these characters whether they fight against them or not and it is the truth about post-war society that is really revealed in this book.

Possibly the best thing about Small Island is the unexpected ending. It is a moving and compassionate tale that ends with the same hard-hitting reality that the entire novel provides. The book is full of small surprises but the last is the best and it draws the story neatly together as Hortense, Queenie, Bernard and Gilbert are brought together in a final climax. It is difficult to describe suchly a deeply detailed book without spoiling some of its beauty - all that can be said is that everyone should pick this one up and experience humanity at both its best and its worst.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'Small Island'.

A Definite Don't-Read

Charlotte Gray - Sebastian Faulks

Why? Why? Why did I read this book? It's taken me about a month or so to get through it purely because I had no motivation to get to the end. And, exactly as I expected, I gained nothing from actually getting to the 497th page.

This book supposedly follows the epic 'odessey' of Charlotte Gray, a Scottish girl sent on an errand in occupied France for an under-cover agency. It is the peak of World War Two, and Charlotte is not only on a mission on behalf of the allies, she is also on her own mission to find her lover, Peter Gregory, a pilot missing in action.

There are many things wrong with this book. The most prominent is the number of characters - there are so many that a) you can't remember who each of them are b) you don't care enough about the outcome of any of their lives and c) even by the end of the book , even Charlotte seems to have a forgotten about half of them.

The second thing that wound me up is the lack of action. This novel is the journey of one woman but really, it's just about her survival, her ordinary day-to-day life, which in a fictional novel tends to wear on you a bit. After all, I don't read a book to satisfy my need for the mundane. Yes, it's about WWII and yes, she undercover in France. There is, of course, a sub-plot following three jews who are taken into the extreme and awful conditions and in theory it seems disrespectful to find the story uninteresting. However, there really is nothing exceptional about these particular sub-plots and because the characters are so undeveloped, sympathy for them specifically is limited.

Finally, there is just so much of this book. So many long, long pages of Faulks' style - journalistic, unemotional writing. Even where there is potential for excitement (a suppressed childhood memory that led to Charlotte's teenage depression, Charlotte nearly exposing herself at the public baths) it is completely brushed over and ignored as the author moves onto another sub-plot soon to be forgotten.

I know I'm being very negative about this novel but I really couldn't justify anything positive. Not only was I dissatisfied at the end but I was dissatisfied and frustrated throughout the entire book. I made no connection to any character, including the eponymous protagonist and I guess I just got nothing from Charlotte Gray whatsoever. I was bored, and this review is the only good (?) thing to have come from reading this one. Sorry Faulks.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'Charlotte Gray'.

A Twenty-First Century Fable

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyne

Whenever I describe this book to people, I always find myself using the same words - "Oh, it's such a cute story", which, for a story about the Holocaust, might come as a surprise. Somehow though, it just is.

This book follows nine-year-old Bruno as he is forced to leave his luxury home in Berlin and move to 'Out-With' (one of many puns easily understood by an older reader). Driven by boredom from the lack of friends and activities in his new house, Bruno begins exploring. From his bedroom window he can see thousands of people dressed in striped pyjamas, so one day he walks along the fence that separates them, only to come across Schmuel. Despite being divided by a barrier of metal and barbed wire, the two boys befriend each other, oblivious to their differences and brought together by their own unhappiness.

Although this book is a children's book, it seems to rely on the reader's understanding of Auschwitz and the Holocaust in order to be fully appreciated. In this sense I believe it appeals to an older audience, as I imagine nine-year-olds of the modern day would read this novel with the same confusion that Bruno feels, and the ending especially would invite many hard-to-answer questions.

Bruno narrates the story, and tells it with the blissful ignorance of his age. He is naive of the horrors of World War Two, and ironically feels it's utterly unfair that Schmuel gets to be on his side of the fence where there are plenty of people to play with. The language that Boyne uses to depict this child's world and his thought processes is delightful and believable, and it is almost comforting to know that Bruno's worst problems are boredom and an annoying sister.

Some have criticised the plausibility of the story, saying that Bruno, as the Commandant's son, was unlikely to have escaped the indoctrination of the Hitler Youth and Nazi propaganda. However, the beauty of this book lies in Bruno's innocence, and it makes the ending far more harrowing and hard-hitting. In fact, the little boy is taught the history of the 'Fatherland', but thoughts of exploring and meeting his new friend occupy his mind and he seems to resist the Nazi sentiments, unlike his sister.

Ultimately, this book is a perfect read -it is quick, interesting and (I have to resist writing the word 'cute' here) enjoyable. The childlike nature of the writing disguises the deeper, 'grown-up' issues that surround the Holocaust, but it is written in such a way as to make them recognisable. I would warn against children under the age of 12 reading it, purely because, despite being from a child's perspective, it needs an older mind, and a background knowledge of the Second World War to perceive the real morals of the story. Nevertheless, it is well worth reading as a shocking fable of the modern day.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas'.

A Touching Tale of Trauma

Kindertransport - Diane Samuels

Performed by Progress Theatre in Reading (27/10/08)

For the first production I have seen by Progress Theatre, Kindertransport definitely formed a brilliant first impression of their work.  From the innovative set design to the stunningly convincing characters, I enjoyed every aspect of this performance.

Kindertransport tells the traumatic tale of Eva Schlesinger, evacuated from Germany just months before the outbreak of the Second World War.  As a Jewish girl in a Nazi stronghold, her parents send her to England to live a safer life away from her home.  Parallel to this is the story of Lil, Evelyn and Faith; three generations of women, who forty years or so after the war, are struggling with similar issues surrounding identity, love and loss.

However, the first thing that struck me about the theatre was how remarkably small it was.  It had a quaint appearance with a pleasant community feel, but a small space like that is bound to present difficulties.  It’s fair to say that the company did a good job of overcoming them in creating some challenging locations, and the simplistic set design combined with the action onstage did enough to create two very different yet connected worlds.

Eva’s world is one of sadness and fear, but the director did manage to balance the tone of the performance to uplift the audience from time to time.  The actress playing Lil (Liz Carroll) often brought us some light relief with her quirky British humour.  The only male in the cast, Steve Webb, who performed five roles, also delivered cheeky comedy to a good reception; a deep contrast to his more fearful characters, the Nazi official and the Ratcatcher, with which he showed great diversity as an actor.

One scene that particularly affected me in a more tragic way was one in which Eva (Sadie James) leaves her mother (Laura Lewis) when she departs on the train to England.  Director Lesley McEwan’s decision to stage Helga, Eva’s mother, behind the child meant that the audience could see her hauntingly grievous expressions.  The silent mouthing of the words, “I love you”, accompanied with chilling slow motion waves effectively created that horrible moment when a mother is separated from her child.

Sadie’s performance is also worth particular praise.  Not only did the young actress have to learn her lines, but some of them were in German, and she had never learnt the language prior to the production.  Sadie also made the development in her character extremely clear; from the young, confused German girl, to the more mature Eva, losing her staccato English for a more natural Manchester accent.

Yet, it goes without saying that all the actors showed tremendous talent, and it was clear that a lot of hard work and effort had gone into making this performance a success – it was not in vain.  Even when the unexpected sound effect of nearby fireworks repeatedly interrupted the show, the actors continued without faltering.  It was definitely a successful tribute to the real ‘Kinder’ transported to England before the war, on whose experiences this play is based.  Finally, if future productions continue to be of this standard, then I will certainly support Progress Theatre for some time to come.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of "Kindertransport".

McEwan Magnificence

Atonement - Ian McEwan

Before writing about Atonement, I looked back over my review of On Chesil Beach, also by McEwan. I'd titled it 'A Moment in Time Can Change a Lifetime', and I've found that Atonement focuses very much on the same idea - one moment, one single action altering the course of many lives.

Atonement has become incredibly well known, since being released as a film, starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy, in 2007. The Novel itself, however, was published in 2001, and shortlisted for the booker prize in the same year. Fortunately, I have not seen the film and can praise Atonement purely as a literary masterpiece without my comments being soiled by impressions from the film.

The story begins on one very hot summer's day in 1935, during which thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses her older sister, Cecilia, plunging into the garden fountain in her underwear. Robbie Turner watches as she undresses and sinks into the water and soon Briony allows her creative imagination to explore ideas suspended between childhood and adulthood. Her mind eventually leads to her "crime", causing unforgivable shame and irreparable rifts amongst her family.

I mentioned in reviewing On Chesil Beach that McEwan has a remarkable talent for creating atmosphere with language. Of course every good author should be able to create scenes through subtle descriptions and well chosen vocabulary but McEwan is different - every word, every syllable echoes the story and the events to come. The beginning of the story evokes the erotic - from the "sticky" afternoon heat to the description of a fifteen-year-old girl indulging in chocolate. There is something vulgar about McEwan's language making the intimacy between characters seem gross and perverse - and so it should. Everything about McEwan's language is pitched perfectly to the story.

The second part of the novel takes Robbie through Dunkirk in 1940 and is a satisfying account of the war, carefully avoiding cliche. Here the writing is gripping and painful but Robbie's likable character is enough to keep us reading. Erotica is gone from McEwan's writing as the need to portray the reality of horrific history takes hold. But, enough about the plot.

Back to McEwan, there are two things I want to mention. Firstly, there is a moment of truly brilliant writing in the final fifty pages of the novel. I read about ten pages with my nose getting closer and closer to the paper - soon I to realised the words were losing their focus. I was desperate to be included more as my heart raced along with Briony's narrative. The writer is truly magnificent in his writing, describing everything down to the smallest subconscious gestures of the human being.

The second thing is not so good. There is one sex scene which seems utterly unreal to me. Without giving too much away, two virgins realise within one afternoon that they are in love and start having rampant, violent sex against a book case. Biting each other and making love without words, it seems like a very unlikely type of intimacy between two first time lovers. Especially as their love unfolds as everlasting, based upon this first discovery of their feelings for each other.

Despite this, I can safely say that Atonement is definitely worth reading. It is the best book I have read in some time and, whereas McEwan thoroughly disappointed me with On Chesil Beach, with Atonement he blew me away. I'm even looking out for a copy of Amsterdam, a novel that went on to win the 1998 booker prize, to read more of this talented writer. Ultimately, Atonement is a fantastic exploration of guilt and innocence, betrayal and forgiveness, love and hatred - pick up a copy and let it blow your mind.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of "Atonement".

Fact in Fiction

Hitler's Canary - Sandi Toksvig

I like to read a variety of books just to get a taste of every kind of writing. It's entertaining, exciting and, in my opinion, helps shape a good writer. This book indeed is very different. Based on the experiences of the author's father in World War Two, it does not take place on the Western Front or in Britain or France like typical war novels - this is a story of a young boy on his home soil in Denmark. A little bit of fact, with a little bit of fiction.

Hitler's Canary, written from the point of view of a thirteen-year old boy, portrays the effect of the Second World War on Denmark. Unlike Birdsong, this novel does not follow the life of a soldier but a boy called Bamse's outlook on how the war affects his country, his family, his friends and even himself. Not too much gore, a little terror and a lot of of bravery.

The novel is written for a young audience, between the ages of 10 and 14, but can easily be enjoyed by all. It is a fairly light-hearted tale of adventure packed with some good ol' 'lessons to be learnt'. However, don't be fooled into thinking that Toksvig treats the war as a simple adventure to be enjoyed - far from it. She successfully writes in a style that children will enjoy whilst still emphasising that the war was a very serious thing; "It wasn't funny at all."

It is also interesting to read about the war from the point of view of a child, something not often read about or experienced (except perhaps in the famous diaries of Anne Frank). However, totally different from the diaries of the young Jewish girl, Hitler's Canary shows how this young boy got involved in the protection of the Danish Jews by being part of the resistance. Yet, the beginning of the book, (when Bamse is only ten) shows that at first the war was too big an issue to understand and undoubtedly, children were unsure how to react if foreign soldiers occupied their cities. Nevertheless, this book shows that children of all ages were affected and had a difficult time all of their own.

Bamse, the main character of the story, has to struggle to keep up with the antics of his older brother, a freedom fighter in the resistance. As well as this, he wants to keep his more docile father happy by not upsetting the Germans and carrying on as normal. In addition to this is the need to please his best friend, "one of the most daring boys in Denmark", a Jewish boy. Naturally, he has the age-old dilemmas that all children suffer at some stage; please your friends or your family? Not always easy to please both. However, a particular highlight of this book for me is the constant fear this young boy reminds himself of and the courage he always finds and never credits himself for.

Toksvig cleverly covers all aspects of the occupation; the soldiers' tendency to take and use whatever facilities they want; the bravery of ordinary citizens in smuggling the Jews out of danger; the fear felt by the Jews in occupied countries. Yet, her style is very simple and entertaining to keep her young audience interested. I particularly liked the hooks she used at the end of some chapters. "it would also be her last", begs the simple question - why? Toksvig uses similar one-liners to keep her reader reading.

I first picked up this book because I thought it had a fun title; 'Hitler's Canary' I later learned was the Allies' name for Denmark in the early stages of the war. I took a closer look and it seemed to be a book aimed more at younger people. But I have a younger brother, and it was on a 3 for 2 offer so I thought 'why not?' On reading the blurb, I saw mentions of the theatre and it got me a little more interested. It turns out that this book, although it has a couple of quotes from the odd Shakespeare play, is not about the theatre, and not entirely about having fun. It is a good way to introduce the terrifying experiences of Nazi occupation in World War Two to children across the globe; it doesn't get too deep, Toksvig shapes it into a digestible adventure story and finally, there's a note at the back giving a few horrifying statistics about the Second World War. Most importantly, they are well selected; they are nearly all about the children, whom, of course, the war affected too.

Please comment if you have anything to add to this review of 'Hitler's Canary'.