❗❗CONTAINS SPOILERS SO BE WARNED IF YOU ARE YET TO SEE THE FILM❗❗
Disclaimer: ALL PICTURES PROPERTY OF WARNER BROS.
Directed by James Hawes
Genre is War / Drama
Duration is 1hr 50min
Written by H.E. Smale
Make sure to have a packet of tissues on standby for this one - it's a tearjerker.
A woeful masterpiece, 'One Life' tells the true story of how London stockbroker Nicholas 'Nikki' Winton (played by Anthony Hopkins) raced against the ticking clock of Nazi invasion to evacuate hundreds of refugee children out of Czechoslovakia on the eve of World War II.
I have been tracking the release of this film for a while, and last week I finally went to see it, and I was not disappointed.
This film is heart-wrenching but beautiful and one for the watchlist.
The film alternates between the present day of 1988 and 1938, in which a younger Nikki (played by Johnny Flynn) arrives in Czechoslovakia and becomes a witness to the horrors faced by (primarily Jewish) German and Austrian refugee families in their desperation to escape Nazi persecution.
Deciding something must be done to save these children, Nikki and his team embark on the seemingly impossible challenge of getting as many children as possible out of Czechoslovakia and to the safety of England before the borders close.
With help from friends and family like his mother (played by Helena Bonham Carter), they manage to raise money, provide visas, and find homes for 669 refugee children - transporting them to England via trains.
However, it all comes to a stop when time runs out, and the borders are closed, leading to their final train - containing 250 children - being detained by Nazi soldiers, as war is announced.
Fifty years later, an older Nikki struggles with the grief and guilt he has carried after the loss of their final train and the children he was not able to bring to safety.
But when the BBC show 'That's Life' learns of the heroic story and tracks down surviving children, Nikki begins to address and heal from the grief when he is faced with the results of his valiant actions - the children he saved standing in front of him.
Obviously, this happy reunion doesn't overshadow the tragedy of the lost children, but knowing, as we do, the horrors that arose from the war (particularly those revolving around the concentration camps like Auschwitz), Winton's accomplishments of saving 669 children are nothing short of a miracle, and he has since been dubbed 'The British Schindler' after his death in 2015.
'One Life' is truly a magnificent film, not only because it brings to light this incredible true story that is criminally undiscussed in history (I was made aware of it through a post on Instagram, not a history lesson in school), but because, unlike a lot of recent films that have no doubt been spectacular (Oppenheimer, Barbie, Saultburn, Poor Things), its main strength and draw are how it connects with audience members through primary emotions of fear, love, loss, and hope.
Even though most of us weren't alive during this time, it's a story in which feeling no empathy during the hard times or joy during the end is challenging. The longing to feel loved and safe, and find hope is universal.
I am not a mother, but when I saw the children in the film being taken away from their families or crying out for their mothers, it was hard not to feel that deep longing to want to reach out and comfort them. That was one of the most troubling scenes to watch for me. Seeing the families pulled apart, even when you know that it's for the protection and well-being of the children. Regardless of whether or not you want children or have them, it's near impossible, I feel, not to be affected seeing an innocent child in such a state of distress.
Stories like 'One Life' will never cease to make us as viewers experience these emotions and will always act as an important reminder of these dark times in history that, in the grand scheme of things, really weren't that long ago.
Not only that, these stories of war and suffering are still relevant in today's society, right now more so due to all the conflicts. It's a reminder that the issues faced by the refugees in the war are still being experienced today overseas.
It's a great shame that 'One Life' wasn't nominated for any of the major awards this year, as I believe it is just as deserving of them as others such as 'Oppenheimer' and unfortunately has been overshadowed.
However, that doesn't negate the true emotional impact it has when you go to watch it. And so if you have the opportunity to do so, I highly recommend giving it a watch.
Not only is it amazing as a film (and not even two hours long), but it also puts into perspective past and present events, and how the same atrocities that we look back on with horror and disdain in the world wars are still occurring today.
One of my favorite films this year, by far.
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