Walking out of the theater I was conflicted by what I would rate this film. I struggled with how I felt emotionally about this incredible story and how it didn't coincide with how I felt about its delivery.
I was touched most by Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of an older Nicky Winton. His ability to demonstrate the guilt of his character was very powerful. It was saddening to think about how a man could feel so much guilt despite doing so much good in his life. Aside from Anthony Hopkins, the rest of the characters were bland. By no means are the actors at fault. The characters were just very one dimensional. They were all written simply as people who complete a task and nothing more.
Personally, films and stories that deal with the mistreatment of children are always very impactful for me. I expected this film to exploit those emotions with some very dramatic scenes involving children but that was not the case. The scenes involving children were quite mild. The film failed to build any tension that would make one feel that the children were actually in any kind of danger. Despite the fact that we are made aware that German invasion is imminent there is never a sense of urgency. We are told rather than shown this lack of time.
I appreciated the films approach in showing what it took for the rescues to happen. But the impact on the families was made to seem like a subtle affair. The kids would get on the train and arrive in London seemingly happy to move on with their adopted families. The parents would just say goodbye but there weren't any true heartbreaking scenes while this was going on.
I liked that the film jumped back and forth between the events of the past and present day. But besides that, nothing else stood out from this film. There weren't any memorable shots or transitions. The dialogue was straight forward. The music and costumes were just okay.
In the end, there wasn't anything new or fresh about its approach to the telling of a story set during the holocaust.
I was touched most by Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of an older Nicky Winton. His ability to demonstrate the guilt of his character was very powerful. It was saddening to think about how a man could feel so much guilt despite doing so much good in his life. Aside from Anthony Hopkins, the rest of the characters were bland. By no means are the actors at fault. The characters were just very one dimensional. They were all written simply as people who complete a task and nothing more.
Personally, films and stories that deal with the mistreatment of children are always very impactful for me. I expected this film to exploit those emotions with some very dramatic scenes involving children but that was not the case. The scenes involving children were quite mild. The film failed to build any tension that would make one feel that the children were actually in any kind of danger. Despite the fact that we are made aware that German invasion is imminent there is never a sense of urgency. We are told rather than shown this lack of time.
I appreciated the films approach in showing what it took for the rescues to happen. But the impact on the families was made to seem like a subtle affair. The kids would get on the train and arrive in London seemingly happy to move on with their adopted families. The parents would just say goodbye but there weren't any true heartbreaking scenes while this was going on.
I liked that the film jumped back and forth between the events of the past and present day. But besides that, nothing else stood out from this film. There weren't any memorable shots or transitions. The dialogue was straight forward. The music and costumes were just okay.
In the end, there wasn't anything new or fresh about its approach to the telling of a story set during the holocaust.