Must-watchWorld War II · Film · 2015
Son of Saul
Saul fia
Over a day and a half in Auschwitz-Birkenau, a Hungarian Jew forced to work in the crematoria tries to give a murdered boy a proper burial while his unit plans a revolt.
Where it happened
Follow the story across 1 places.
Stop 1: Crematoria of Auschwitz-Birkenau
Key location
Saul moves through the gas chambers, the pits and the barracks, carrying the boy's body and searching for a rabbi as the revolt approaches.
What really happened
In the spring and summer of 1944 about 430,000 Hungarian Jews were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau, most of them gassed on arrival. The Sonderkommando, prisoners forced to empty the gas chambers and burn the bodies, were themselves periodically killed to erase witnesses.
On 7 October 1944 members of the Sonderkommando revolted, blew up Crematorium IV with gunpowder smuggled by women prisoners, and some broke out; about 250 were killed that day. The film also recreates the secret 'Sonderkommando photographs' taken in August 1944, and relies on the hidden writings of prisoners found buried near the crematoria.
Where to watch
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Full details
- Original title
- Saul fia
- Directed by
- László Nemes
- Countries
- Hungary
- Languages
- Hungarian, German, Yiddish, Polish
- Released
- 2015
- Period
- –
- Theaters of war
- Eastern Front
- Themes
- Holocaust
- Prisoners of war
