I wanted to make a film about one individual to give a face to something that had become too abstract. I wanted the viewer to experience the human condition, in a way, through their perception.Ī: I first came upon the story of the Sonderkommando 10 years ago, when I read these writings they made in secret. For the origin, I really wanted to immerse the viewer in the situation, rather than tell a sort of classical, historical story. This is the kind of film that goes a little beyond its creator. You have to accept it, I guess.īut you know, I think the film, either way, has a life in itself. It was rather crazy, so I didn’t have much time. I would say ("Son of Saul" is) 50 percent there. You know, (Francis Ford) Coppola, when he made "The Godfather," he said it's 60 percent there. How did you come up with the idea, and how closely did the film match your idea?Ī: Let me start with the second question. Q: The way you shot it, from Saul’s point of view, is certainly unique. I didn't make it for the Jewish community or anything like that. Q: Yes, the bigger the audience, the better.Ī: I made it so everyone can see it. That really is the main focus of a filmmaker, especially this kind of film. It's thrilling, but it's good for the film, so the film can be seen by as many people as possible. Of course, it's important to have all these positive reviews, but it's also something I've never experienced before, so I have to get used to it, I guess. That must make it a little less nerve-wracking, right?Īnswer: I'm a nervous type. Question: The film is just now getting a wider release, but it’s gotten such high praise.
Neme spoke recently about the film, which opens Friday, Jan.
On Sunday, it won a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. It won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival and is Nemes’ native Hungary’s submission for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The movie is garnering near-universal critical praise. He works as a Sonderkommando, a prisoner who must help Nazis dispose of those killed in gas chambers, thereby extending their own lives a little longer. The film tells the story of a prisoner (Géza Röhrig) in a concentration camp in 1944. “Son of Saul” is the first feature for director and co-writer László Nemes.