Sarah's Key

3/4

Starring: Kristen Scott Thomas, Mélusine Mayance, Niels Arstrup, Frédéric Pierrot, Aidan Quinn

Rated PG-13 for Thematic Material including Disturbing Situations involving the Holocaust

“Sarah’s Key” is a solid Holocaust-themed drama that works because of effective storytelling and an array of nice performances.  While no one is going to mistake this for “Schindler’s List,” it’s a nice story and quite involving.

A journalist named Julia Jarmond (Thomas) has discovered that her parents’ apartment has a history.  Before her parents moved into the apartment in 1942, the previous tenants were a Jewish family who were taken to concentration camps by the French police during the Vel’ d’Hiv roundup.  Intrigued by the story, Julia investigates further, intending to write a piece for her magazine on a fragment of history that has received little attention.  But as it is with all stories like this, finding the truth carries a price.

In a way, I was reminded of another film that I saw earlier this year, “Incendies.”  Although they are very different in tone and content, both deal with characters who dig up the past that illuminates people they thought they knew.  Every character who was involved with what happened to Sarah Starzynski (the little girl who is at the center of the story) has their own reasons for not wanting to visit the past (thankfully, the film doesn’t resort to cheap theatrics like putting Julia’s life in danger).  But Julia becomes obsessed with finding out the truth, and doesn’t realize that this could damage the people involved.

The performances are effective.  Kristen Scott Thomas does a solid job with the meager material that she is given, but with an actress of her talent, we would expect nothing less.  The best performance is given by Mélusine Mayance.  As Sarah, Mayance is a natural, exhibiting both screen presence and talent.  She’s scared, but she’s determined to rescue her brother by any means possible.  Niels Arstrup and Dominique Frot are also good as the elderly couple who reluctantly take in Sarah, and grow to love her in return.

It’s not flawless; Gilles Paquet-Brenner’s direction is solid, but not standout.  There’s too much story for there to be much character development, and Brenner’s attempts to flesh out Julia’s background are messy and nonsensical (probably because much of it was left on the cutting room floor).  Additionally, the film fails to really explain much about the Vel’ d’Hiv roundup.  The explanation is lacking and fails to put it into any sort of context.

I do recommend the film.  It’s a good story, and quite involving.  But it’s also kind of frustrating during the scenes that investigate Julia’s disastrous homelife because they rarely make sense.  But if you’re in the mood for a mystery that isn’t necessarily a happy one, this fits the bill.