Monday, March 14, 2011

AFI 91 - Sophie's Choice

Sophie's Choice
1982
Directed by Alan J. Pakula
Netflix sleeve: Aspiring author Stingo (Peter MacNicol) shares a Brooklyn boarding house with winsome Polish emigre Sophie (Meryl Streep) and her mercurial lover, Nathan (Kevin Kline) - a union unsettled by Nathan's violent behavior and Sophie's disturbing recollections of her wartime experience. Stingo uncovers the truth about Sophie, however, when her accounts of her stint at a Nazi concentration camp unravel, laying bare the real source of her torment.

Thanks a lot, AFI. I really appreciate you putting this movie on your list and making me cry. This was my first time seeing this movie. Of course it's been referenced countless times, both in serious and comedic situations. And even though I knew what Sophie's ultimate choice would be (thanks to Patton Oswalt spilling the beans during an episode of King of Queens), I admit I still cried. It's hard not to cry when a film's subject matter is that dark and depressing. Through flashbacks we get a glimpse of one of the darkest times in human history. Emotion coming into play is inevitable.

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