Movies

Sarah Starzynski, a child, is among the nearly 10,000 Paris Jews rounded up by the French police and turned over to the Nazis for extermination. She hides her younger brother and carries the key to his hiding place.The film goes back and fourth from the wartime period to modern period. The Thomas' story line pales in comparison to the impact of the war time story. The flash forwards while often distracting, and frequently conversations in restaurants, are a needed break from the gut wrenching intensity and horror of the holocaust story.A good but stoic performance by Thomas is dwarfed by the performance of Melusine Mayance as the young Sarah.It is a excellent movie that will not get wide distribution. It's a story that must be told. It took 53 years for the French government to apologize for the atrocity. An outstanding example of the emotional power of cinema.

The movie deals with a harrowing episode in European history in a convincing fashion. It cleverly shifts from the past to the present, all the while building towards a tidy conclusion that ties up most of the loose ends, but leaves the audience guessing about the possible future of some of the main characters.I was slightly disappointed that a few of the present day scenes were a little too frivolous for a movie that was built around such a tragic episode. However some good may come from this if it makes the movie more accessible to the younger audience, who might not be aware of all of the horrors of Jewish persecution during WW2.

Sarah's Key is a true story about the Jewish deportation in France during the Second World War in 1942. It is told with very good placed flashbacks mixed with the present. The emotional scenes were well executed.There were a few dramatic situations where I had tears in my eyes.The actors delivered a solid job and especially the little girl Sarah played very strong.All the humanity should never forget what happened in the past. This must be remembered for eternity. If you are interested in these historic movies don't miss The Pianist, Der Letzte Zug, The Counterfeiters or Der Untergang. Read here my critic from each recommendation.My vote and my wife: 8/10