Schindler’s List (1993)

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, and Ben Kingsley

Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) is a German businessman looking to profit from World War II.  Schindler moves to Krakow and opens a factory there.  He hires Jewish Poles to work in this factory because they're a cheaper source of labor.  Meanwhile, Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes) arrives in the city to supervise the development of a new concentration camp.  As the persecution of the Jews persists and intensifies throughout Germany, Schindler becomes more sympathetic toward his employees' plight.  Schindler gradually transforms from a war profiteer into a savior.

The Holocaust is not a subject that can be addressed lightly on screen.  Though his film is ultimately about the selfless acts of Oskar Schindler and how approximately a thousand Jews evaded the horrors of concentration camps, Steven Spielberg does not fail to capture the tragic nature of this horrific moment in human history.  He masterfully creates a bleak, joyless world that depicts a small slice of redemption in the midst of enormous devastation.  Schindler's List clocks in at just over three hours.  Even though it has a sober rating, you may need a drink or two because the film is downright depressing.