A Jewish-Hungarian concentration camp prisoner sets out to give a child he mistook for his son a proper burial.A Jewish-Hungarian concentration camp prisoner sets out to give a child he mistook for his son a proper burial.A Jewish-Hungarian concentration camp prisoner sets out to give a child he mistook for his son a proper burial.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 65 wins & 61 nominations total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDuring the preparation, director László Nemes, cinematographer Mátyás Erdély and production designer László Rajk made a pledge to stick to certain rules, or a "dogma", which included:
- The film cannot look beautiful.
- The film cannot look appealing.
- We cannot make a horror film.
- Staying with Saul means not going beyond his own field of vision, hearing, or presence.
- The camera is his companion, it stays with him throughout this hell.
- GoofsThe short text at the beginning says, that the members of the 'Sonderkommando' were killed after 3 months, but this is a simplification of the more complicated history. While it's correct that these men were supposed to be killed and replaced after a few months, in some cases they were killed much earlier and in other rare cases they could survive for over 2 years, like Filip Müller. This depended mostly on the skills of the individual 'Sonderkommando' slave worker, who was sometimes needed by the SS to train the new 'Sonderkommando' members, but also on pure coincidence and luck.
- Quotes
Abraham Warszawski: You failed the living for the dead.
Saul Ausländer: We are dead already.
- ConnectionsFeatured in 73rd Golden Globe Awards (2016)
- SoundtracksDream Faces
Written by William Marshall Hutchison
Performed by Elizabeth Spencer
Featured review
TIFF 2015 -- Son of Saul: Expect a little more than an education
Easily tagged as a Holocaust film (but shouldn't necessarily be), 'Son of Saul' explores the perspective of a Sonderkommando named Saul — a German Nazi death camp prisoner who's job was to aid with the disposal of gas chamber victims — who finds a dying boy from the chambers and attempts to give him a proper burial who he claims to be his son, all during his time at Auschwitz. The film is uniquely shot from an over-the-shoulder perspective that keeps the viewer entirely focused on Saul, but still with the motions and actions surrounding him very noticeable (thanks to absolutely brilliant sound work in order to help achieve the eerie feel). 'Saul' reaches certain pinnacles of significant discomfort during scenes of execution — in the gas chambers and the burial pits — and a stone-faced Saul can do nothing but be forced to listen or watch.
At points, the viewer feels claustrophobic when being ushered from the trucks in the middle of the night to one's fate. While the main story of Saul's attempt to give his "son" a proper Jewish burial is what drives him — already accepting his own fate — the film goes beyond the typical WWII Holocaust story where you might only hear of incidents. In this film, the viewer is thrust upon into the fray of Hell, constantly following Saul through several one-shot takes that leave you wondering what is waiting for him.
A word to the wise: this film prides itself on authenticity, realism, and truth; 'Son of Saul' is painfully poetic.
At points, the viewer feels claustrophobic when being ushered from the trucks in the middle of the night to one's fate. While the main story of Saul's attempt to give his "son" a proper Jewish burial is what drives him — already accepting his own fate — the film goes beyond the typical WWII Holocaust story where you might only hear of incidents. In this film, the viewer is thrust upon into the fray of Hell, constantly following Saul through several one-shot takes that leave you wondering what is waiting for him.
A word to the wise: this film prides itself on authenticity, realism, and truth; 'Son of Saul' is painfully poetic.
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- Brap-2
- Sep 11, 2015
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Languages
- Also known as
- El hijo de Saúl
- Filming locations
- Mafilm, Budapest, Hungary(Studio)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- €1,500,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $1,777,043
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $37,930
- Dec 20, 2015
- Gross worldwide
- $6,659,121
- Runtime1 hour 47 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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