In the horror of 1944 Auschwitz, a prisoner forced to burn the corpses of his own people finds moral survival trying to save from the flames the body of a boy he takes for his son.
Hungarian helmer Laszlo Nemes and actor Geza Rohrig make a powerful debut with this grim, unyielding Holocaust drama.
– Justin Chang,
Variety,
14 May 2015
fresh:
An Auschwitz-set drama that's numbing, provocative and impossible to unsee.
– Dave Calhoun,
Time Out,
22 May 2015
fresh:
The tight focus on one character to the exclusion of everything else can be exhausting to the viewer, but it never comes across as just a gimmick; it's too central to the story Nemes is telling.
– Steve Pond,
TheWrap,
15 Sep 2015
fresh:
A powerful aural and visual experience that doesn't quite manage to sustain itself over the course of its running time, but is a remarkable -- and remarkably intense -- experience nonetheless.
– Boyd van Hoeij,
Hollywood Reporter,
15 Sep 2015
fresh:
Elevator Pitch: A uniquely honest Holocaust drama.