Many moons ago, when I was 19 years old, I took a day trip using my Eurail pass to circumstantiate the Dauchau concentration camp outside Munich, Germany. It’s not like I could google information about it, nor did it merit more then one sentence in the Frommer guide. I just had to see it for myself. But I didn’t really think there would be much to contemplate. I naively assumed that it would have been decimated by the locals or dismantled; deemed an embarrassment to Germany.
But there it stood – bleak and intolerably distressing. As I entered the camp, I saw the reason why it still existed. A sign from the “We Will Not Forget Committee” was mounted prominently at the gates. The quote attributed to George Santayana, “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” could not have had more significance perched on the fence of this wretched place.
Which brings me to Son of Saul, the auspicious first feature film by director László Nemes. Recent winner of the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and nominated in the same category in this years Academy Awards, Son of Saul is an intense and challenging conceptualization of one aspect of the Holocaust.
Nemes’, a Hungarian native, lost part of his family in Auschwitz. According to the press notes, he imagined (the evil) like a black hole burrowed within us; something had broken. Then, he states, “The time had come for me to reconnect with that specific part of my family’s history.” Although a fictional story, Nemes formulated the concept when he found a book of eyewitness accounts written by former Sonderkommando members.
In the first scene, where our range of view is obscured, we are introduced to Saul Ausländer, a Hungarian member of the Sonderkommando; one of the Jewish prisoners forced to assist the Nazi’s in their monstrous extermination plan. The camera, outfitted with a 40mm lens (which allows for a shallow focus), deftly blurs the horror of the moment, leaving the audience perched on Saul’s shoulder for the remainder of the film. We don’t always see what he sees because we often trail behind Saul, where our field of vision is obliterated. But the images do not have to be seen nor must they be in focus. Aided by a haunting sound design, our mind connects the dots, leaving us to register his feelings and emotions. We don’t need to see – we know what has transpired. We are merely passive bystanders.
While carrying out his duties, Saul discovers a young boy whom he believes to be his son. He embarks on a perilous journey; seeking a rabbi who is willing to recite
Mourner’s Kaddish (prayers).
There are many reasons we frequent the movies; perhaps to be entertained, educated, or enlightened. Son of Saul may not entertain or educate in the traditional manner, but bequeaths so much more. It will leave a lasting impression that we must not forget.
