One Life is a film with an incredibly dark and heavy subject matter that remains sadly relevant in the modern day.
The film is based on the true story of Nicholas Winton who, along with his allies, was able to get 669 children out of Prague just before the Nazi invasion, and the outbreak of the second world war.
The story cuts between the 1930’s and the 1980’s across its 1 hour 50 minute runtime.
The heroic 1930’s
The 1930’s section of the film follows Winton, played by Johnny Flynn, as he visits Prague and witnesses the horrific conditions faced by Jewish refugees fleeing Hitler’s advance.
After witnessing this, Winton resolves to do whatever he can to save as many refugee children as he can, alongside his various allies in Czechoslovakia and England.
Chief amongst these Homefront allies is Winton’s mother, played by Helena Bonham Carter, who brilliantly conveys a woman full of passion and determination, but grounded by the wisdom of a long and spectacular, but painful, life.
This section of the film has most of the typical heart-swelling heroics and heart-breaking failures you would expect of a war film (plus a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy). However, aside for a few stand out moments from Flynn and Bonham Carter, is overall very by the book.
Image credit: BBC Films
The contemplative 1980’s
Where the film really shines is in the 1980’s, where Winton is played by the legendary Anthony Hopkins.
Hopkins delivers a subtle yet incredibly heavy performance of a man weighed down by history, guilt and duty.
Winton, in this section of the film, is clearing out decades worth of gathered files and memories that he has hoarded around his home.
Once again, the story is relatively predictable and the directing is somewhat simple. The film is a BBC Films production and it feels like it. The performances carry it.
Towards the end of the film there are two brilliant scenes in which Winton meets with a historian to discuss what he did in Prague and a reunion with many of the children he saved, famously done live on BBC’s That’s Life.
These two scenes are completely devastating to watch and most of the credit goes to Hopkins, who conveys how much pain Winton carried, and the writers of the film who play to Hopkins’s strengths wonderfully.
While the film is undeniably dark, the ending is very hopeful as it shows just how much good can be done when ordinary people refuse to let other suffer.
Image credit: BBC Films
Save one life, save the world
Overall, One Life is a brilliantly emotive film that will leave you on the edge of tears at several points thanks to its world class cast and subject matter that remains relevant to this day due to refugee crises in Europe and conflicts in the likes of Syria and the Gaza strip.
Anthony Hopkins absolutely steals the show here and deserves all the credit in the world for his role.
If you want a devastating film with beautifully optimistic ending and world class performances, then you should definetely give One Life your time.
Featured image credit: BBC Films
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