Sarah's Key [HD]

Realistic and powerful!
The story of a 1942 Jewish family being evicted from their home in Paris and sent to a camp is interwoven with the plot of a modern-day reporter trying to determine what happened to the little girl in the family. Scenes of the fate of Jewish people at the time are always powerful to watch, with this one being no exception. The anguish of families being separated is realistically portrayed, but their eventual fate is not depicted. The story revolves around the little girl, Sarah, trying to determine the fate of her brother. The other story features the always good Kristin-Scott Thomas, doing a story on the eviction of Jews from Paris, and focusing on understanding the fate that befell Sarah. This is a powerful film that will captivate the viewer.

Best Movie of 2011 So Far.
FILM RATING: 4 stars

The best movie I've seen in 2011 so far is Sarah's Key (2010). This French-English import is one of those little "sleeper" movies that totally surprises you and blows you away when you see it. Sarah's Key has a very emotional core to it that really looks into the human condition from multiple perspectives. And it searches for the "truth" within. This is a movie much in the vein of Schindler's List (1993), The Pianist (2002), The Reader (2008), and The English Patient (1996). It's not exactly "light" fare. But it's also not quite as dark as Schindler's List or The Pianist. I found the weaving of the two main story lines, one past and one present, to be perfect. It's not always easy for a filmmaker to pull together past and present set stories, with actors playing the same character at various ages, but director Gilles Paquet-Brenner found a way to do it brilliantly. And the same can be said for the way he weaves together both French and English...

A Story Lived Versus A Story Told: A Powerful Story Related Two Ways
Part of the dangers inherent in adapting a wildly popular and beloved novel is that if you miss the mark, even in the slightest, you risk antagonizing a core audience that will be brutal in its appraisal. "Sarah's Key" is such a story. This adaptation of Tatiana De Rosnay's memorable bestseller, however, strikes the right balance which should appease both fans of the novel and new viewers alike. This is an impeccably mounted production that straddles contemporary drama with mysteries from the past. As the first half of the picture unfolded, I truly felt as if I were seeing one of the most effective and affecting films of the year. It is that good. Once a pivotal moment is reached in the story, however, the narrative momentum takes a sharp turn and the movie loses some of its dramatic imperative. Don't get me wrong, it's still a solid feature--but the first hour is so good, the second half pales a bit in comparison.

The plot drives you forward with the fascinating and...

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