One Life Movie: Exploring Nicholas Winton’s Rescue Mission
Director: James Hawes
Writer: Lucinda Coxon, Nick Drake (Screenplay)
Cast
- Anthony Hopkins (The Father)
- Helena Bonham Carter (Enola Holmes)
- Johnny Flynn (The Outfit)
- Jonathan Pryce (The Wife, Doctor Jekyll)
- Lena Olin (Hilma)
Plot: Follows British humanitarian Nicholas Winton, who helped save hundreds of Central European children from the Nazis on the eve of World War II.
Runtime: 1 Hour 50 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: One Life starts when an elderly Nicholas Winton (Hopkins) is assigned to tidy the house of his record by his wife Grete (Olin). This strikes back the memories of his work in Czechoslovakia in 1938. As a young man, Nicholas (Flynn) witnesses the refugees struggling to survive.
Nicholas decides to work with Doreen Warriner (Garai) and Trevor (Sharp) they look to help save children from the Nazis. It becomes a race against time to get as many out as possible. However, the older Nicholas still looks back at the ones he couldn’t save and questions whether he did enough.
Verdict on One Life
One Life is a true-life drama following the heroic actions of Sir Nicholas Winton. He saw the dangers coming to Czechoslovakia and looked to get as many refugee children out before the Nazis arrived. However, he must overcome massive difficulties and wonder if he did enough.
This is another amazing story of what people did to try to save innocent lives during the Nazi campaign. The story is told from two points of view, the first follows the movement to make things happen. While the second looks at an older Nicholas looking back at his memories.
This is a well-known story now, once the truth was revealed in 1987 with the television broadcast. It packs a massive emotional punch, leaving you in tears throughout the movie. Anthony Hopkins is phenomenal, while the rest of the cast excel too. This is an early contender for the best movie of 2024 just make sure you bring tissues to wipe your eyes.
Where to Watch
Final Thoughts – One Life is moving, emotional, heroic and heartbreaking all at once.
