Sarah's Key

For my next film in 2011 I'm staying in France again and learning about a devastating incident from World War II.

After all these years and so many films it still amazes me that film makers can still find events we have not explored yet on film from World War II. The film looks at an incident in Paris where Jews were rounded up by French police and lock up in a velodrome before being taken to camps. The fact that it was French police doing it and not the Nazis makes it more horrific. The story is brilliantly told as a detective story with a woman, Julia, investigating the life of a girl, Sarah, who was rounded up. The fact that she tried to help her brother makes it so incredibly emotional. As we discover each of the clues to what happened to Sarah it leads to some devastating conclusions. It is also nice to have someone moving into a house and not being haunted by ghosts. However, the ghosts here are more metaphorical rather than literal. My only problem with the film is that we are not told why the French did the rounding up and not the Nazis. Obviously they were coerced but it would have been nice to find out why.

Kristen Scott Thomas is a brilliant English actress who has been getting more mark in France these days. It means she can get excellent work like this. Plus she is multi-lingual which helps with her character. Kristen makes a great detective haunted by personal turmoil.

Another incident from history that is told in a wonderful way. An incredibly emotional story that is told in an interesting way.