The Pianist (2002)

Directed by: Roman Polanski
Starring: Adrien Brody, Emilia Fox, Ed Stoppard

Overall Rating: 87.7

"The Pianist" is the story of a Jewish pianist (Brody) during the German occupation of Warsaw during the start of WWII.  As his family is moved from their homes to the ghettos, the ghettos to work camps, and ultimately separated all together, the hope once held by the Jewish pianist is evaporated as more and more atrocities are committed against him, his people, and his family.

The film takes a different look at the Jewish struggle during WWII than we've seen in past films such as "Schindler's List" or "Life is Beautiful".  Rather than focusing solely on the concentration camps, the film follows Szpilman (Brody) through the struggle of moving from place to place to avoid going to the camps.  What plays out is the feeling of a zombie apocalypse film, where instead of the brain eating undead, you have the soulless hate-filled Germans.  Szpilman's key to survival is simply to stay quiet and move, eating while at all possible.  The few moments he gets to himself, he can imagine playing his piano to create that peace inside his mind.

For the role that earned Brody his first Oscar, Brody delivers a deeply moving, sympathetic performance.  Early on, you feel his confidence as one of the more famous musicians of his time, while the quiet scenes all to himself, you feel his despair and sadness.

While not as emotionally powerful as "Schindler's List" or "Life is Beautiful", "The Pianist" still tells you a different story than what you've become accustomed to.  It's well acted and tells a strong story, a movie well worth seeing.

Individual Ratings
Enjoyment Factor: 8
Dialogue: 8
Acting: 10
Direction: 10
Audio/Visual: 8