Son of Saul

Son of Saul (Saul fia, 2015) is László Nemes' wartime drama, and you can watch online on iFILM. Saul Ausländer is a prisoner the Nazis have forced into the Sonderkommando — the men made to herd new arrivals inside, then scrub the chambers and feed the ovens.

The camera stays locked on Géza Röhrig's face, leaving the camp's horror blurred at the edges of the frame, as if Saul has trained himself not to look in order to stay sane. Then, among the bodies, he recognizes a boy he believes is his son. From that moment he has one purpose: keep the corpse from the furnace, find a rabbi, and bury the child by Jewish rite. A prisoner uprising is brewing around him, yet Saul seems blind to everything but this one impossible task.

Nemes shot his debut without a single tidy image of atrocity — a boxy frame, shallow focus, and a soundscape that does the work the picture refuses to show. The film took the Grand Prix at Cannes and went on to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. It's heavy, physically punishing viewing, not a casual night in, but the kind that stays lodged in you. Stream Son of Saul (2015) online on iFILM.