Review of "The Survivor," the true story of a boxer who survived Auschwitz
A poignant drama about post-traumatic stress disorder from Barry Levinson.
In the ring, Harry Haft (Ben Foster) is proudly presented as an "Auschwitz survivor," but after the war, the legendary boxer is defeated time after time. The press wants to hear the hero's story, but his brother (Saro Emirze) insists that the truth must not come out - after all, he survived by fighting to the death with other Jews. The reporter's entreaties lead Haft to the conclusion that the appearance of his name in the newspapers may be the only hope of attracting the attention of the missing girl Lia (Dar Zuzowski), whom he met before the war.
Barry Levinson undertook an adaptation of a book written by Haft's son Alan, which, in turn, is based on Harry's memoirs. The picture, which has all the hallmarks of a quality biopic and contains elements of sports drama, ultimately does not fit into either genre. Yes, the story shifts between being in Auschwitz in the past and trying to find a lover in the present. It would seem to be a good field for recreating gruesome episodes and anchoring the suffering with comforting melodramatism. But Levinson's directorial handwriting doesn't put much emphasis on either. Through the hell of the concentration camp, the sentimental encounters, the conversations with the trainers about the decisive battle pulsates the heart of the film, which belongs to moral questions about the (un)possibility of choice and the suffocating power of trauma.
Harry Haft's story, outwardly similar to the movies we know, turns into a parable about trying to find peace after a deal with the devil. Will the hero be able to forget the outlines of the faces of those who were destined to meet the bullet after a battle with him? Could he do otherwise without paying for his life with the blood of his comrades? Will fear ever leave the boxer's heart and the burning guilt subside? The more we watch scraps of flashbacks where young Harry becomes the Nazi's "pet," the deeper the wound of Levinson's canvas becomes, and the bleeding goes far beyond the fight ring. This is no longer just a true story with black-and-white flashbacks, but a tale of loss of faith and ways to seek forgiveness from oneself.
The author's attempt to translate his personal traumatic experience to the screen does not exclude a reflection on more general themes, such as animosity between peoples and the irreparable consequences of xenophobia. One of the characters asks in passing why the Nazis oppressed the Jews. After all, unlike racial discrimination in America, they were not distinguished by skin color. The answer, of course, is painfully simple and maddeningly frightening: "People will always find someone to hate." The motif that accompanies the film throughout its timeline is recognizable from any generation. And just imagine how great it would be if the nature of hatred, appearing seemingly out of nowhere and destroying millions of human destinies, remained somewhere in the pages of history books.
This article was sponsored by Rex Laxamana
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