In Darkness (2011 film)

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In Darkness
UK cinematic poster
Directed byAgnieszka Holland
Written byDavid F. Shamoon
Based onIn the Sewers of Lvov
by Robert Marshall
Produced byAndrzej Besztak
Steffen Reuter
Patrick Knippel
Marc-Daniel Dichant
Leander Carell
Juliusz Machulski
Paul Stephens
Eric Jordan
StarringRobert Więckiewicz
Benno Fürmann
Agnieszka Grochowska
Maria Schrader
Herbert Knaup
Kinga Preis
Krzysztof Skonieczny
CinematographyJolanta Dylewska
Edited byMike Czarnecki
Music byAntoni Komasa-Łazarkiewicz
Production
companies
Zebra Films, Schmidtz Katze Filmkollektiv, the Film Works
Distributed bySony Pictures Classics
Release dates
  • 2 September 2011 (2011-09-02) (Telluride (USA))
  • 15 September 2011 (2011-09-15) (Poland)
Running time
144 minutes
CountriesPoland
Germany
Canada
LanguagesPolish
German
Yiddish
Ukrainian

In Darkness (Polish: W ciemności) is a 2011 Polish drama film written by David F. Shamoon and directed by Agnieszka Holland.[1] It was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards.[2]

Based on true events during German occupation of Poland, the film tells about Leopold Socha, a sewer worker in the Polish city of Lwów. He used his knowledge of the city's sewer system to shelter a group of Jews who had escaped from the Lwów Ghetto during the Holocaust in Poland.[3]

Plot[edit]

During Nazi-occupied Poland, two Lvov sewer workers, Leopold Socha and Szczepek Wróblewski, loot successfully. They witness Nazis executing Jewish women in the woods before returning home. In the Lvov ghetto, Jews face persecution and humiliation by German SS men and collaborating Ukrainian police. Illegal trade and prostitution flourish under the ghetto walls, involving smugglers like Mundek Margulies.[4]

While working in the sewers, Socha and Szczepek encounter Jews attempting to escape to the Aryan side of Lvov. Ignacy Chiger gives Socha a watch, seeking their assistance. Socha hesitantly agrees to hide the Chiger family for payment, despite Szczepek's concerns. The Jews accept the offer. Later, at a tavern, they meet with Bortnik from the Ukrainian Auxiliary Police, who praises the Nazis. As they resume work, gunshots signal the start of the Lvov ghetto's liquidation. Paulina Chiger and others flee into the sewers. Socha, Szczepek, Mundek, and Janek Grossman organize an evacuation, with Janek leaving his family for his mistress, Chai.[4]

Socha is captured by Ukrainian shooters but released by Bortnik. He hides his involvement with Jews from his wife, Wanda, discussing the persecution of Jews with her. Wanda mentions Jesus was Jewish, leading Socha to reflect. Socha discovers his shopkeeper knows about his actions. He descends into the sewers, learning Mania is missing. Negotiating with the Jews, Socha considers accommodating them all underground.[4]

Shortly after, Bortnik confronts Socha about the shopkeeper's tip-off and pressures him to reveal the Jews' location. Socha initially complies but later reveals his secret to his wife during dinner, causing panic. Bortnik grows suspicious of Socha's honesty. Meanwhile, the hidden Jews argue amongst themselves, distrusting Socha. Socha decides not to accept more money from them but contemplates betraying them after Janek escapes. He argues with Szczepek and ends their cooperation.[4]

One winter morning, Socha sees an SS man aiming at Mundek and cleverly kills him with a Jewish smuggler's help. He later discovers that ten Poles, including Szczepek, were hanged for the SS man's death. Socha's new accomplice spots the hiding Jews and plans to inform, prompting Socha to move them to safety under a church. Chaja, pregnant with Janek's child, joins them and gives birth but suffocates the baby to avoid detection. Mundek and Socha find Janek and his companions dead. Socha agrees to smuggle Mundek to find Mania, but they are shot by guards. Mundek returns to the hideout.[4]

One spring night, heavy rain floods the sewers during Socha's daughter's first Holy Communion. Socha rushes to rescue the hidden Jews, followed by the suspicious Bortnik. Socha escapes but loses consciousness in the rising water. He wakes to find Bortnik dead and emerges to the surface. As the Soviets enter Lvov, the surviving Jews emerge from the sewers.[4]

The film concludes with the final caption:[4]

Leopold Socha died on May 12, 1946, saving his daughter from the wheels of a speeding truck of the Red Army. At his funeral, someone said: 'It is God's punishment for helping Jews.' As if we needed God to punish each other.

Cast[edit]

Production and release[edit]

Dedicated to Marek Edelman,[5] the film is a Polish-German-Canadian coproduction, with a screenplay by Canadian writer David F. Shamoon.[6] In Darkness is based on the book In the Sewers of Lvov (1990) by Robert Marshall. The last survivor of the group, Krystyna Chiger, published a memoir of her experience, The Girl in the Green Sweater: A Life in Holocaust's Shadow (2008). It was not a source for the film, as Holland was unaware of the book prior to the film's release [7] This was the first full-length film shown at the 23rd Polish Film Festival in America in Chicago on the Opening Night Gala.[8][9]

Reception[edit]

As of October 2020, a majority of film critics have given the film a positive review. In Darkness has an approval rating of 88% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 114 reviews, and an average rating of 7.60/10.[10] It also has a score of 74 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11]

A review by Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly called it "a harrowing nail-biter of a movie".[12] Ella Taylor of NPR wrote In Darkness "satisfies for the intensity of the performances and for the artful contrasting of life on the teeming streets of L'viv with life and death in the dim, rat-infested sewers", adding that it "is often a thrilling adventure picture — as if Anne Frank had found an Inglourious Basterd to help her make The Great Escape".[13] Ty Burr of The Boston Globe called the film "a harrowing Holocaust tale, but one that speaks to humankind's capacity to endure, to fight on in the face of terrible cruelty", adding that Holland "elicits taut performances from a strong cast".[14] David Denby of The New Yorker called it "the most volatile that Holland has directed. With a distinguished, hardworking cast of German and Polish actors", noting that "honesty is the movie's greatest strength".[15] Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter said this "harrowing, engrossing, claustrophobic and sometimes literally hard to watch […] robust, arduous drama is more ironic and multi-faceted than most such tales and should be well received by the considerable art house audience worldwide partial to the subject matter".[16] Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal said this "brave epic" film's "suspense, derived from a true story, is excruciating and inspiring in equal measure".[17] A. O. Scott of The New York Times called In Darkness "suspenseful, horrifying and at times intensely moving […] touching, warm and dramatically satisfying".[18] On the other hand, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times dismissed the film as redundant and inferior to Schindler's List which was "more entertaining" in his view.[19] Michael Atkinson of the Village Voice claimed that "Holland does skirt the ethical entrapment of Schindler's List (over-lionizing the Aryan rescuer)", adding: "It's not fair, but there it is: We've been here before."[20] The German authorities in occupied Poland referred to non-Jews, including Poles, as Aryans; colloquially, documents proving one's non-Jewish identity were called "Aryan papers", and the areas prohibited to Jews were known collectively as "the Aryan side".[21] the Polish districts of citi David Edelstein of New York Magazine wrote: "In outline, In Darkness is a standard conversion melodrama, but little within those parameters is easy. The darkness lingers into the light."[22] Mick LaSalle of San Francisco Chronicle called it "an extraordinary movie, and somehow good art […] a gripping piece of history and also an exploration into the mysteries of the human soul", and gave it "the highest recommendation".[23]

Awards[edit]

In Darkness was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards.[2] Nominated alongside the official Canadian nominee Monsieur Lazhar, it attracted attention in the country for marking the first time in the history of Cinema of Canada that had its two films nominated for the best foreign language film Oscar in the same year.[6] At the International Valladolid Film Festival (SEMINCI), Agnieszka Holland won the award for Best Director.[24][25] The film garnered several award nominations at the 32nd Genie Awards, including Best Adapted Screenplay for Shamoon. It also received the Grand Prix at the 7th Batumi International Art-house Film Festival.[26]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "W ciemności". Retrieved 26 February 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Oscars 2012: Nominees in full". BBC News. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  3. ^ "Agnieszka Holland - In Darkness". Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Agnieszka Holland (2011). W ciemności (DVD). Polska: Kino Świat.
  5. ^ P. 24
  6. ^ a b "Canadian roots grow at Oscars". The Chronicle-Herald, 17 February 2012.
  7. ^ Dowell, Pat. Poland's Holland, Exploring Holocaust History Again. National Public Radio, 19 February 2012.
  8. ^ "List of Films - Polish Film Festival in America". pffamerica.com. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  9. ^ "In Darkness". pffamerica.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
  10. ^ "In Darkness". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  11. ^ "In Darkness Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More". Metacritic. 10 February 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  12. ^ Lisa Schwarzbaum (10 February 2012). "In Darkness Review | Movie Reviews and News | Spring Movies - Calendar, Trailers, Movie Photos, Movie Clips, Movie Guide". www.ew.com. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  13. ^ Corliss, Richard (9 February 2012). "Movie Review—In Darkness: How a Swindler Became a Schindler | Entertainment | Time". entertainment.time.com. Time. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  14. ^ Thompson, Gary (1 March 2012). "Harrowing story of Polish Jews whose hiding place was a sewer". www.philly.com. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  15. ^ Denby, David. "In Darkness". The New Yorker. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  16. ^ McCarthy, Todd. "In Darkness: Telluride Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  17. ^ Morgenstern, Joe (9 September 2011). "In Telluride, High-Altitude Viewing | Film Reviews by Joe Morgenstern - Wall Street Journal". online.wsj.com. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  18. ^ A. O. Scott (8 December 2011). "'In Darkness' From Agnieszka Holland - Review - New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  19. ^ Roger Ebert (15 February 2012). "In Darkness". rogerebert.suntimes.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  20. ^ Michael Atkinson (8 February 2012). "In Darkness: Down in the Sewer, Desperate to Survive - Page 1 - Movies - New York". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 27 February 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  21. ^ Gunnar S. Paulsson, Secret City: The hidden Jews of Warsaw 1940-1945 (Yale 2002)
  22. ^ Edelstein, David (5 February 2012). "David Edelstein on 'In Darkness' and 'Rampart' - New York Magazine Movie Review". nymag.com. New York Magazine. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  23. ^ Mick LaSalle (24 February 2012). "'In Darkness' review: Humanity rises from depths". www.sfgate.com. SFGate. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
  24. ^ "In Darkness". www.filmaffinity.com. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  25. ^ "In Darkness". www.seminci.es. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  26. ^ "FESTIVALS: BIAFF Grand Prix award goes to In Darkness". Archived from the original on 2 October 2012.

External links[edit]

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