The Autobiography of Jona Oberski is worthy of a film. It is the story of a young Jewish couple that emigrates to Amsterdam in 1937 to escape Nazis persecution. They get good jobs, build a home, begin a family and for a few years life in the Netherlands is good.
Suddenly the Nazis invade in 1940 and began deporting Jews shortly after. This includes the Oberski family (husband & wife and 3 year old Jona) who were sent to Westerbork and then Bergen-Belson. This autobiography is the story Jona's life as a child in the Jewish concentration system. It is a compelling story that could be a very good film.
But this is not a good film, it's actually horrid! The biggest problem is a screenplay that is filled with WTF moments (for instance a sex scene between the mother and father (who is dying) in front of the little boy! Who puts stuff like that in a movie? Or the part where the boy begins eating his food like a dog, on all fours?). I could list another dozen but will spare you.
The direction and editing are equally as bad and the film feels very low budget, amateurish and sloppy. Typically you see mountains in the background that should not be there and people who are "supposedly" dying of malnutrition with rosy colored, full figured cheeks (hate that!). More so you see a concentration camp that is oddly humane???
The casting was the strength of the film and the 2 Jonas (age 3 and 7) did a very good job, but not enough to save the film. The screenplay is just that bad!
4/10 stars for trying to tell a good story
Suddenly the Nazis invade in 1940 and began deporting Jews shortly after. This includes the Oberski family (husband & wife and 3 year old Jona) who were sent to Westerbork and then Bergen-Belson. This autobiography is the story Jona's life as a child in the Jewish concentration system. It is a compelling story that could be a very good film.
But this is not a good film, it's actually horrid! The biggest problem is a screenplay that is filled with WTF moments (for instance a sex scene between the mother and father (who is dying) in front of the little boy! Who puts stuff like that in a movie? Or the part where the boy begins eating his food like a dog, on all fours?). I could list another dozen but will spare you.
The direction and editing are equally as bad and the film feels very low budget, amateurish and sloppy. Typically you see mountains in the background that should not be there and people who are "supposedly" dying of malnutrition with rosy colored, full figured cheeks (hate that!). More so you see a concentration camp that is oddly humane???
The casting was the strength of the film and the 2 Jonas (age 3 and 7) did a very good job, but not enough to save the film. The screenplay is just that bad!
4/10 stars for trying to tell a good story