Son of Saul

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1:44

Son of Saul

2015

1h 47m

History

Drama

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Popcornmeter

96%

Tomatometer

230 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

During World War II, a Jewish worker (Géza Röhrig) at the Auschwitz concentration camp tries to find a rabbi to give a child a proper burial.

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Son of Saul

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Critics Consensus

Grimly intense yet thoroughly rewarding,Son of Saul offers an unforgettable viewing experience -- and establishes director László Nemes as a talent to watch.

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Critics Reviews

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Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

The Blue Lenses

Son of Saul employs the formal mechanics of filmmaking to turn [its] ... questions back in on and around themselves, doing what cinema does best in the hands of great filmmakers: showing by not showing, telling by not telling.

Aug 25, 2018

Full Review

Dwight Brown

National Newspaper Publishers Association

Son of Saul is a masterwork that leads viewers right to the gates of hell.

Mar 7, 2017

Full Review

Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Important as it is essential, the movie is a remarkable achievement deserving of every honor and ounce of acclaim it has so far achieved, watching it a catastrophically profound experience I'm not soon to forget.

Son of Saul is one of the richest and most personal of all Holocaust films, backed by a stunning central performance and realized by a filmmaker who has an incredibly bright future ahead of him.

Grappling with themes of self-preservation and mental stability amongst abject barbarity, Son of Saul packs an emotional punch all its own, while seeking to convey the essence of an individual living in abhorrent chaos.

A difficult, harrowing, and exhausting film to endure – claustrophobic and psychological. But it’s also an intimate and gripping experience and an extraordinary feature film debut from László Nemes.

Audience Reviews

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Stephen C

Rated R for Some Graphic Nudity, and Disturbing Violent Content. I love a mix of Drama and History!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/13/25

Full Review

r96 s

'Son of Saul' is as upsetting and unimaginable as you would anticipate a film about the Holocaust would be. It is quite unique in terms of its story and how it's portrayed. It's interesting to learn about the Sonderkommandos, a term I somehow wasn't overly familiar with to be honest.Géza Röhrig is outstanding in the leading role, one that requires some big acting chops given the character doesn't speak too often. How crazy that he, so I read, hadn't acted in film for a few decades up until this. The only thing more surprising is that this is director László Nemes' directorial debut!

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/16/25

Full Review

Mo H

Watching this film is a bit like having poor eye sight, and then sitting behind someone tall in the cinema, so that you can only see 1/3 of what's going on in the background. While the themes are intense and thought providing, I would not recommend this unless you are a fan of long closeups.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

04/06/25

Full Review

Ricardo B

Ambientado em Auschwitz, durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial, "Filho de Saul" é pesado e difícil de assistir — assim como qualquer filme ambientado durante o Holocausto —, mas oferece uma singular experiência visual, movida por um profundo foco no protagonista e sua experiência no campo de concentração. É o tipo de filme que eu nunca mais vou assistir novamente, mas a imersiva experiência visual valeu uma visita.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/23/25

Full Review

Audience Member

A masterpiece. The treatment Sonderkommando have received in the decades since the war is disgraceful. I hope this helps with their long overdue vindication.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/27/25

Full Review

Alec B

One of the few films about the Holocaust that's willing to be an unrelenting nightmare. I'm not sure if I could ever revisit it but I respect that the filmmakers never compromise on their bleak, pessimistic narrative.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

My Rating

László Nemes

Director

Géza Röhrig

Saul

Kecske Molnár Levente

Abraham

Todd Charmont

Bearded Man

Sándor Zsótér

Doctor

Marcin Czarnik

Feigenbaum

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Son of Saul

Son of Saul: Trailer 2

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Son of Saul: Trailer 1

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Son of Saul

(L-R) Levente Molnár as Abrahám in "Son of Saul."

(L-R) Christian Harting as Oberscharführer Busch and Géza Röhrig as Saul in "Son of Saul."

(L-R) Géza Röhrig as Saul in "Son of Saul."

(L-R) Cinematographer Mátyás Erdély and Géza Röhrig in "Son of Saul."

(L-R) Géza Röhrig as Saul in "Son of Saul."

(L-R) Director László Nemes and Géza Röhrig in "Son of Saul."

(L-R) Géza Röhrig as Saul in "Son of Saul."

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Son of Saul

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