There is a reason why films revolving around the sensitive subject of World War II do not get much attention or recognition today: because all of the ones worth our time were released decades ago. Sophie's Choice is yet another Holocaust-focused drama that contains some incredible, career-defining performances and an emotional story that seems to know exactly what it's doing. Stories of this genre about the war have never quite interested me because I have frankly learned all that I need to care about in middle school, but when a film like this comes along, it makes me appreciate the art about that time period even more. Coming off as more of a romantic drama than a period piece, this film brings a thankfully fresh story to the horrific nature of WWII in what otherwise would have been a much duller movie.
World War II was a horrible and egregious time for cultures around the world, but one concentration camp survivor named Sophie (Meryl Streep) has luckily found life after the war. While she lives with her boyfriend Nathan (Kevin Kline), a young man by the name of Stingo (Peter MacNicol) moves in with them and begins to challenge everything that Sophie knew to be true about love and life after one of the biggest atrocities in history. Adapted from the novel of the same name, Sophie's Choice is brilliantly written but, unfortunately, slowly and mindlessly directed by Alan J. Pakula. This script is painstakingly beautiful and tells the story of Sophie trying to sort out her love life between the two most important men in her life. Cut with monologues initiating flashbacks from her time in the concentration camps, the subject matter of this film is undoubtedly intriguing but can get jarring the way that it was told. Pakula's script is amazing and while I have not read the original novel, I am certain that he did its poetic beauty justice. However, unless a film is downright exploitative, it's a bit difficult for a war film of this magnitude not to be emotionally charged to some degree. I was expecting to be at least moved by a touching story and in that case, Sophie's Choice absolutely did its job. What I had an issue with, however, were the harsh and blatant transitions between many of the scenes, which hurt its tone extremely bad. Cutting from a softspoken and reminiscent monologue from Streep to an upbeat and brightly-lit carnival scene completely blindsided me, especially without any seemingly relevant purpose between the two. I suppose that these horribly-transitioned scenes were supposed to juxtapose each other for dramatic effect, but I just could not feel that from Pakula's direction or the way he paced out this story.
Pakula's screenwriting abilities are unmatched, however, as he brings a romantic side to this film that made it the most enjoyable. Seeing how Sophie was stuck between these two men and could not move past an abusive boyfriend because of her past was so telling of this character. It was incredibly interesting to see the dynamic between Sophie and Stingo as she desperately wanted to leave Nathan, but was physically and mentally unable. This speaks on not only the dark consequences of peoples' troubled pasts but how disgusting and strong the power of manipulative men can be. Accompanied by an almost clichéd tragic ending, this love story was so powerful, if also just a bit mediocre. The performance from Meryl Streep as Sophie was what made this aspect of the film so astounding. While Kline and MacNicol were solid and provided a great foundation for the protagonist, Streep plays off of them so well and makes her character the most relatable and emotional piece of the movie. Seen not only in her monologues but in her playful and dismissive exchanges with Nathan, every ounce of movement and inflection in her voice is carefully and beautifully done. This, among many other of her films, are why I assume many people call her the best actress of her generation. Her Polish accent was also executed tastefully and added another layer to making her performance so captivating.
Sophie's Choice is a mildly interesting film with a mediocre story that's elevated by a moving performance from Streep. If anyone else had been cast in this titular role, I honestly do not think that this film would be as renowned as it is today. I very much enjoyed the romantic spin on the war genre but I am so burnt out of these types of films that I can not ever see myself voluntarily watching this again in the future.
My Rating: ★★★
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