"Sophie's Choice" (1982)

Rank on the AFI List: #91

WHAT I ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THE MOVIE:
Absolutely nothing, but after picking it up from the library, I learned it stars Meryl Streep and has something to do with Jews and World War II.

LET ME EXPLAIN...
This was a very interesting movie to watch, and I'm not quite sure how to give an organized critique because my thoughts on it are a bit how the movie seemed: scatter-brained (that's not to say I thought the movie was bad). Therefore, I will make random points in short paragraphs.

I'll start by saying this almost seemed like two different films. It was certainly two different stories being told which didn't seem to fit together at all until the end (however, my wife didn't think the ending brought the stories together, so I guess it's up to the viewer to decide).

This movie was intriguing to watch because it slowly unveils the two main characters' stories in such a way that I wanted to keep watching to find out who they really are. This made the movie enjoyable for me to watch once, but I don't think I want to watch it again.

Meryl Streep's performance (in which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1982) was amazing. Her Polish accent seemed spot on, and all the German and Polish she had to learn to speak was incredibly impressive. Plus, she IS regarded as arguably the greatest actress of her time.

Then of course, there's "the choice" Sophie makes. Through the entire movie I was trying to figure out what the choice would be, but I certainly did not predict what it actually was. All I will say is it's so surreal and incredible that I just can't fathom making the choice and living with the consequences.

What makes this a "Top 100" Movie?
I can't really tell you why "Sophie's Choice" is considered one of the best films ever made.  I'm certain a major reason it's on the list is because of its portrayal of the Holocaust.  Another feather in its cap is the terrific acting all around (particularly Streep and Kevin Kline).  But even with all that said, I'm just not sure what makes this a Top 100 movie.

Complaints:
"Sophie's Choice" is a bit strange. The friendship between the main characters was quite peculiar, and how and when the film revealed things about each character seemed random. This is what made my wife really not like the movie, and while I didn't really appreciate its randomness either, I don't think it bothered me as much.

LET ME SUM UP...
As a one-time view, I enjoyed this movie. I thought the casting was very good (Meryl Streep was brilliant, and Kevin Kline was a great choice to play Nathan), the concentration camp scenes were the most gripping (as you'd expect), and I thought the ending was very powerful and really brought two seemingly separate stories together (at least somewhat). However, the way the movie revealed things seemed very random, and the central friendship was odd. But I'd recommend this movie just to see Streep's performance and to wrestle in your own mind with the choice Sophie makes.

MY RATING: 6.5/10

TOTAL # OF FILMED WATCHED: 63