I had slept in late this morning, knowing I'd need all my energy if I was going to make it through four flicks that day. I whipped up a light gourmet lunch in the kitchen, savored it while catching my daily dose of CNN, and then headed towards campus in the RoboMobile, aided by Jo Hisaishi's stirring score from "Mononoke Hime." Within the span of a few tracks, I arrived at Austin's famed Dobie Theater.
I had heard great things about this documentary -- enough to (accurately) predict it would win the Oscar this week -- and was really looking forward to seeing it. And it did not disappoint.
Granted, I was crushed that Errol Morris' "Fast, Cheap and Out of Control" didn't get a well-deserved nomination this year, but after seeing "The Long Way Home," I'm quite content with the fact that it won -- even though I have such strong admiration and affection for "4 Little Girls" and "Waco: The Rules of Engagement" (both of which should be considered required viewing). And the screening actually started on time!
"The Long Walk Home" spans 1945 to 1948, covering the period from the end of the Holocaust to the foundation of the nation of Israel, and chronicling the journey of tens of thousands of displaced European Jewish refugees. It's a fascinating and critical chapter of history that is often overshadowed. Here, it is masterfully told with grace, reverence, humanity, insight, and honesty.
Personally, this subject held particular interest, as my mother's family sheltered a Jewish girl during the occupation of the Netherlands, and then emigrated to the U.S. after the war. (When the film showed Jewish refugees arriving at Ellis Island under the watchful eye of the Statue of Liberty, it was potently resonant for me.)
As cliched as it may sound, this film is a stirring celebration of the power of the human spirit. It is an engrossing drama about a struggle for survival, told on a truly epic scale. It brings history alive in a vivid and powerful way through rare archival footage, stills, readings of letters and documents, outstanding interviews, and narration by Morgan Freeman. It's accomplished filmmaking that lets the story tell itself. Director Mark Jonathan Harris is to be commended, along with everyone else involved in the production.
The film does feel a bit long at 120 minutes (but then, it is covering three years). That said, it is remarkably well-paced, even if it does hit a bit of a lull about two-thirds of the way into the film. Overall, however, it is gripping and engrossingly fascinating. It is an important document that should be seen. Hopefully, its Oscar will help insure that happens.
