Friday, March 29, 2019


Based on true events, the Russian film Sobibor tells the story of a revolt and mass escape from the Nazi concentration camp of Sobibor led by Alexander Pechersky (played by director Konstantin Khabenskiy) in Poland during WWII. The film could use a little more nuance from the Nazis (led by Christopher Lambert) and a little less Russian nationalism (constantly playing up the importance of Russian Jews) for a more compelling story. Based on gripping subject matter, the film doesn't do much in the way to add artistry or historical context to the proceedings. The truth behind the film kept me more interested than the depiction of events. Honestly, I would have been far more interested in seeing a documentary of the Sobibor revolt rather than this dramatization.

Focused more on Nazi brutality towards the Jews than their escape for three-fourths of the film, Sobibor is at times hard to watch. The script also ignores historical context when it may get in the way of the story (such as somewhat fudging the number of escapees, and ignoring the large percentage who were either killed or recaptured by the Nazis).

While I would recommend the film for the right audience (those not put off by the brutality and violence on display), the failure of Sobibor is that it isn't anywhere near as fascinating or compelling in retelling events as it should be. Given the opportunity to educate a worldwide audience on a story many may have no idea ever occurred, it's hard not to be a little disappointed in Sobibor. Still, as a (brutal) introduction to these events, Khabenskiy's film is moderately successful.

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