This is a disturbing film that everyone should see. It is based on the true story of a dozen Jews who survived the Holocaust by living for fourteen months in the sewers beneath Lvov, Poland, from 1944 to 1945. It is also the story of an anti-Semitic sewer inspector named Leopold "Poldek" Socha (Robert Wieckiewicz) who at first sees helping the Jews as a way to rip them off for what little money they have left but who is transformed into a decent human being trying to help his fellow human beings. One of a tiny handful of humorous scenes comes near the end when one of the Jewish men says to Poldek, "I don't have any more money". Poldek slips him a wad of cash and says, "Give this to me on Friday in front of the others. We don't want them to know anything has changed". As he turns and walks away, Poldek makes a face that says he can't believe that he just did such a generous thing.
The cinematography and lighting in this movie are exceptional. Most of the movie takes place in what is supposed to be a badly lit sewer, yet the artificial lighting allows you to see the actors well enough without calling attention to itself.
Agnieszka Holland directed this movie. She has an impressive international résumé, but I still remember the first movie of hers that I saw "Europa Europa" another holocaust story I would highly recommend. (And it isn't as unrelentingly disturbing as "In Darkness".) What is disturbing is the atmosphere of doom and the brutality of the Nazis above ground contrasted with the atmosphere of doom and squalor in the dank, foul-smelling, rat-infested sewer. This is not a modern, prettified sewer; this sewer is nineteenth-century or older construction, labyrinthine, dismal and rank. It is a dangerous place where no one but Poldek can find their way in or out.
At one time or another, everything goes wrong for the hideaways. A heavy rain fills up the sewer, nearly drowning them. Polish collaborators find out they are there and try to turn them in to the Nazis. Poldek nearly gets caught several times trying to bring food and other necessities. Some Jews become tired of hiding and go above ground, only to be caught and imprisoned or killed outright.
I was able to watch all of this without giving in to despair only because I knew that one of the children must have survived because I saw her on American television several months ago. At the time, I think I realized that there was a book about these events, but until I saw that this movie was to be shown at the Virginia Film Festival in Charlottesville earlier this month, I did not realize it had been made into a movie.
The cinematography and lighting in this movie are exceptional. Most of the movie takes place in what is supposed to be a badly lit sewer, yet the artificial lighting allows you to see the actors well enough without calling attention to itself.
Agnieszka Holland directed this movie. She has an impressive international résumé, but I still remember the first movie of hers that I saw "Europa Europa" another holocaust story I would highly recommend. (And it isn't as unrelentingly disturbing as "In Darkness".) What is disturbing is the atmosphere of doom and the brutality of the Nazis above ground contrasted with the atmosphere of doom and squalor in the dank, foul-smelling, rat-infested sewer. This is not a modern, prettified sewer; this sewer is nineteenth-century or older construction, labyrinthine, dismal and rank. It is a dangerous place where no one but Poldek can find their way in or out.
At one time or another, everything goes wrong for the hideaways. A heavy rain fills up the sewer, nearly drowning them. Polish collaborators find out they are there and try to turn them in to the Nazis. Poldek nearly gets caught several times trying to bring food and other necessities. Some Jews become tired of hiding and go above ground, only to be caught and imprisoned or killed outright.
I was able to watch all of this without giving in to despair only because I knew that one of the children must have survived because I saw her on American television several months ago. At the time, I think I realized that there was a book about these events, but until I saw that this movie was to be shown at the Virginia Film Festival in Charlottesville earlier this month, I did not realize it had been made into a movie.