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In Darkness

W ciemności

Poland, Canada, Germany

2011

145 Min
Color
Polish, German, Yiddish, Ukrainian
  • Currently 3.8/5 Stars.
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DIR Agnieszka Holland

EXEC Christoph Fisser, Charlie Woebcken, Anna Maria Zündel

PROD Leander Carell, Wojciech Danowski, Marc-Daniel Dichant, Eric Jordan, Patrick Knippel, Juliusz Machulski, Steffen Reuter, Paul Stephens

SCR David F. Shamoon, Robert Marshall

DP Jolanta Dylewska

CAST Robert Więckiewicz, Benno Fürmann, Agnieszka Grochowska, Maria Schrader, Herbert Knaup, Marcin Bosak, Krzysztof Skonieczny, Milla Bankowicz, Oliwer Stanczak

ED Mike Czarnecki

PROD DES Erwin Prib

SOUND Daniel Pellerin, Geoff Raffan

Toronto (Special Presentations), Telluride, Vancouver (Cinema of Our Time), Stockholm (Open Zone), Mar del Plata (International Competition), Istanbul (Challenging the Years)

Synopsis

Veteran director Agnieszka Holland focusses on a little-known phenomenon in Second World War Poland, Jews hiding in the underground sewer systems of the major cities to escape deportation and the death camps. A sewer worker who discovers a group of Jews on his rounds must decide whether he will place his, and his family’s, life in jeopardy. If the Germans catch on, he will die. –TIFF

Director

Original

Agnieszka Holland

Agnieszka Holland (born November 28, 1948) is a Polish film and TV director and screenwriter. Best recognized for her highly political contributions to Polish cinema, Holland is one of Poland’s most prominent filmmakers. She was born in Warsaw, Poland, the daughter of journalists Irena (née Rybczynska) and Henryk Holland. Her Jewish father’s parents were killed in the ghetto, and her mother was a Catholic who fought in the 1944 Warsaw Uprising and was a member of the Polish Underground. Holland was raised without religion. Holland’s mother later re-married to journalist Stanislaw Brodzki. Holland is the mother of Kasia Adamik, another Polish film director.

Holland graduated from the Prague Film and TV Academy (FAMU) in 1971. She began her career as an assistant director for the Polish film directors Krzysztof Zanussi and Andrzej Wajda, including Zanussi’s 1973 film Illuminacja and Wajda’s 1982 film Danton. Holland’s first major film was Provincial Actors (Aktorzy Prowincjonalni… read more

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Justin Oakey

20Apr12

Brutal and dark, yet sublime, this film was unusual from start to finish. A great deal of the film is spent with minimal light, the faces of characters barely lit by small hand lanterns and streaks of light pouring into the sewers - although frustrating at times, this made the above-ground scenes of winter war feel even colder and harsher than before. "In Darkness" was a highly gripping (and stressful) viewing.

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msmichel

21Mar12

Holland made one of the best and most important Holocaust films back in '92 (Europa Europa) and though this is a very different tale it lacks in comparison. Yes, its an important story in charting the survival of Polish Jews in the sewer system during the Nazi occupation yet the film still seems to lack the ability to truly engage. Interesting choice to show both positive and negative human attributes.

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Andre Rehal

26Feb12

I enjoyed this film mostly because it didn't victimize the all of the characters on the run, they were flawed and some did despicable things. It was a very honest portrayal on the whole.

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LifeofFiction

16Jan12

A nearly flawlessly told holocaust story.

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W184

Daily Briefing. Bordwell + Thompson + Criterion, Reverse Shot on Spielberg II, More

By David Hudson on March 19, 2012

Also: New books, new DVD/Blu-ray releases, new Sight & Sound.

read article

Review: IN DARKNESS Goes into Sewers for a Polish Holocaust Story

By Twitchfilm.com on March 3, 2012
Who knew that raw sewage was such a strong aphrodisiac? Poland’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film, In Darkness ended up with an Academy Award nomination this year, though the far superior A Separation
read on Twitchfilm.com

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Very good, though not great, new angle on WWII

By Michael Harbour on March 24, 2012

“In Darkness” chronicles the lives of a group of Jews hiding in the sewers of Lvov, Poland during WWII and the the antisemitic, opportunistic sewer worker who accepts payment to help them. The performances…  read review

A humanistic look at the Holocaust.

By LifeofF​iction on December 7, 2011
I was a part of the first audience to ever watch this film at Telluride and was completely blown away by it.

Ms. Holland is able to take an unlikely premises for an intriguing film and create one of…  read review

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