Star player: Anthony Hopkins as Sir Nicholas Winton. Photo / Supplied
Star player: Anthony Hopkins as Sir Nicholas Winton. Photo / Supplied
One Life is a film best unspoiled by reading about the man in question. But even if you do know a little of Nicholas Winton’s pre-war escapades, it’s a moving story of everyman heroism.
Winton is played by Johnny Flynn in the 1930s and Anthony Hopkins later in life. Thefilm tells the story of how the young English stockbroker was able to help arrange the rescue of hundreds of Jewish children during the Holocaust, a feat that wasn’t recognised until many decades later, when he was eventually knighted and dubbed “the British Schindler”.
In 1938, Winton, born to German-Jewish parents, was a man of privilege in a time when the Nazis were beginning their occupation of Europe. When a friend called from Prague to tell him about Jewish families being split up and interned, he turned humanitarian.
What ensues is an inspiring portrait of ordinary people doing extraordinary, selfless things to save the lives of children.
The well-acted and well-designed period piece flits back and forth between scenes of young Winton’s derring-do (supported by a marvellous Helena Bonham Carter as his German mother) and the older man decades later, still reflecting on the children whose lives he failed to save. Hopkins plays Nicky as a gruffly private man, stricken by his memories but resolutely unwilling to talk about them.
For the most part, One Life is an interesting account of a lesser-known episode of Holocaust history, at least until the third act, which delivers the emotional punches as Winton is finally honoured and thanked for his actions.
In his feature debut, TV director James Hawes is admirably non-manipulative in its telling, even if scenes of children being separated from their parents are undoubtedly affecting. But Hawes wisely lets his hero’s actions speak for themselves, resulting in a film that is humble and gently engrossing.
One Life directed by James Hawes is in cinemas now. ★★★★
