‘One Life’ – Review
The power of hope and the light of goodness shine bright in One Life, which chronicles the extraordinary life of Sir Nico9las Winton, a ‘so-called ordinary man’ who did the extraordinary during the build-up to the horrors of World War II, and whose actions would save more than 669 Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. And this moving picture makes for a rollercoaster of emotions.
The story of British humanitarian Nicholas Winton, who helped save hundreds of Central European children from the Nazis on the eve of World War II.
Celebrated British filmmaker James Hawes is the man who steps up to bring the extraordinary life of British humanitarian Sir Nicholas Winton in an incredibly moving feat of cinema in One Life. And audiences will be unable to hold back their emotions with this picture. Hawes’ work on One Life feels both like a tribute to the power of Sir Nicolas’s actions but also like a time capsule for both current and future generations to never forget the power of what the human soul can produce when set to the task of goodness. Utilising a back-and-forth narrative that traverses both Winton’s life in the late 1980s as a retiree as he tries to overcome the trauma of the past, along with capturing his actions as a young man, Hawes explores ideas of time, loss, trauma and memory. And the end results for a moving and incredibly raw piece of cinema.
Shouldering the enormity of bringing the story of Sir Nicholas Winton, or Nicky as he liked to be called, is Sir Anthony Hopkins and the cinematic great gives a profound and emotionally rich performance. Hopkins’s performance here as Winton is shaped by ideas of reflection and a longing to look back and treasure the lessons of the past so that evil cannot be repeated and good can win out. He portrays the orderly and practical Nicky with a deep sense of hidden emotion, who upon stumbling upon his scrapbook of the humanitarian mission of the Kindertransport, begins to confront the actions of the past, and the children he was able to save and the nightmares of those he couldn’t. It’s an emotional tour-de-force from the respected Hopkins, and the sheer feeling and fervour of his performance make for an experience that will genuinely affect audiences.
But One Life isn’t Hopkin’s film alone. Much praise must be heaped upon rising star Johnny Flynn and his through eyes that we witness the atrocities of the Nazi regime. Nicky’s desperate actions to save as many children as possible, Flynn truly captures the average, ordinary man aspect of Nicky’s actions and is a testament to Nicky’s belief that ordinary people can do the most amazing things in service of others. While we see Nicky’s abounding actions begin to take a toll on him, it’s ultimately through the passing of time and Hopkins’s performance that their full toll comes to affect him. Flynn’s performance is matched perfectly with Hopkins, and together, they build the total presence of this wonderfully caring man who did so much for so many.
One Life is an incredibly potent and profound piece of cinema, and its message of hope and how good people can do the right thing in the most trying of times and the next positive that this can have is exceptionally affecting.It is a picture that maintains a message that the most ordinary of people can do the most extraordinary of things, and it feels like, in the trying times in which we live, this is truly a movie of the moment, and its narrative will undoubtedly move audiences to tears.
One Life is a brave and bold piece of cinema that highlights the achievements of an amazing yet ordinary man who gave so much in his life and only wished he could give more. But its message goes beyond that, and it inspires in its audience a message of hope and resilience that the world needs right now. It’s a beautiful and moving film, and audiences will be swept up by its incredible performances and its deep message of hope.
Image: Transmission Films
