In Darkness accurately conveys emotive tragedy
In the Nazi-occupied Poland of In Darkness, life has its shades of gray.
There are no clear heroes or villains, despite the murder of Jewish refugees at the hands of soldiers. In some instances, the heroes possess traits of evil, while villains possess traits of good.
Director Agnieszka Holland’s Academy Award-nominated film, In Darkness, deals with the tragedies that took place in Poland during the German occupation.
The film takes its inspiration from Robert Marshall’s book, In the Sewers of Lvov, and follows Leopold Socha (Robert Wieckiewicz), a Polish sewer worker who moonlights as a burglar, stealing from people’s homes and later hiding their jewels and money in the sewers he works in. Socha — or Poldek, as his friends call him — comes across Jews seeking refuge from Nazi soldiers.
Fortunately for the persecuted Jews, Poldek knows just the place to hide them: the sewers.
The film, as the title promises, takes place in the darkness. The Jews end up living in the sewer system beneath the city of Lvov — now Lviv, Ukraine — for an extended period of time. Holland is not afraid to invite the audience into the Jews’ world. Though striking, the cinematography for the film creates an unattractive setting that is purposefully dark and hopeless.
The group, which includes a couple, a religious man and children, among others, all must depend on each other for survival. Though their lives will forever change in these sewers, In Darkness does a wonderful job of showing that they keep hope alive that they will once again see the light of day.
In Darkness also effectively contrasts what takes place both below ground in the sewers and above ground in the city, where the remaining Jews are murdered or tortured. In the sewers, they are surrounded in darkness and Holland emphasizes how difficult life is for these victims.
This contrasts well with scenes that take us into the city above, where gruesome murders take place in broad daylight. The Jews in the sewers are confined and helpless, but life above is equally as devastating. Holland is very resourceful with her camera, drawing parallels between both worlds.
Poldek’s actions are evocative of Oskar Schindler from Schindler’s List. Unlike the hero in Steven Spielberg’s paradigmatic film, however, Poldek’s intentions are selfish. Poldek assists the Jews only because they pay him more than the Germans would for turning them in.
The characters in the film — Poldek, in particular — are carefully sketched in their development, built to reaffirm the notion of moral ambiguity. Poldek is a flawed hero, and Robert Wieckiewicz’s performance shows his deep desperation in times of anguish.
There are moments in the film that suggest Poldek’s intentions with the Jews expand beyond self-regard. The writing of the film emphasizes that life isn’t always black and white and that sometimes emotions change over the course of time.
In addition, In Darkness drops the viewer directly among the Jews in the rat-infested sewers, creating a deep sense of claustrophobia.
The decision to film in such tight spaces, coupled with the film’s longer running time of 145 minutes, creates a sense of pervasive uneasiness. The audience feels trapped and confined, leaving little room for identification with the characters of the story.
In some sense, Holland cleverly tests the audience’s patience, especially when the camera remains fixated on gruesome events.
In Darkness is a poignant film, and one that provides audiences with an understanding of the complexities of human emotion. The film sheds light on the Holocaust in a unique manner, showing viewers genuine individual perspectives.
In Darkness also resonates in its final moments and allows its audience to empathize with its characters.
This, however, is also its problem. Holland excels in establishing a sense of objectivity throughout the film, but reaches for a fulfilling, inspiring ending in the climax of the film.
The relationship that is established with the characters on the screen feels real, and the audience takes satisfaction in finding such a connection with characters that pertain to genocide.
In some sense, it is as if Holland wants her audience to feel good rather than accurately inform us about an historic event.
The narrative satisfaction, along with the feeling of warmth that the audience walks away with, can feel opportunistic. Though In Darkness ends on what can feel like a forced note, it still remains a deeply emotive and unique look at one of history’s darkest chapters.