A word to the wise: this film prides itself on authenticity, realism, and truth 'Son of Saul' is painfully poetic. In the horror of 1944 Auschwitz, a prisoner forced to burn the corpses of his. 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. 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. There’s foremost Saul’s quest to give a dignified burial to the kid, but also the Sonderkommando uprising, the only one that took place in the history of Auschwitz-Birkenau, as well as the taking of the photographs of the burning pits from inside the gas. At points, the viewer feels claustrophobic when being ushered from the trucks in the middle of the night to one's fate. Indeed, just like The Grey Zone was a nearly complete catalogue of horrors in Auschwitz, Son of Saul is a catalogue of heroic deeds.
'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. 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). 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.