One Life-An Incredibly Moving Story Told Well

The true story at its center makes One Life the film so powerful. Nicholas Winton's story is so moving and seemed almost tailor-made for the kind of tear-jerker of a movie like this. And to the film's credit, it tells this story well, with remarkable love, and despite being a film centered around Nicholas Winton, with considerable respect to everyone involved in getting the children out of Czechoslovakia, not just Winton. Those final moments showing the production of the newsreel story that inspired this film are where the movie is most emotionally powerful, as watching Nicholas reunite with all those he saved left me in tears. 

The film attempts to take a more neutral approach to telling this story, showing it as it is and letting it play out with very little of a sense of style or flashy filmmaking. On the one hand, I respect and admire this approach, as it allows the film to tell this story without making much of it feel emotionally manipulative. On the other hand, it also makes for reasonably standard, by-the-numbers filmmaking when this story probably could've benefited from something with a bit more style. 

The film also thrusts the viewer into this story, getting straight into Nicholas Winton attempting to get the children out of Czechoslovakia, with little insight into why he's doing this. The most the film gives the audience is that Nicholas does this because it's something that must be done, so he feels he must do it. But that's pretty broad reasoning, and I always got the sense that there's a more specific reason Winton is doing this that the film doesn't disclose. It makes for a movie that, as powerful as the story is, doesn't quite go in-depth and feels rather underbaked in the execution of some of the story. 

Despite feeling pretty by the numbers and underbaked in some areas, One Life still works incredibly well because all it had to do to work as a film is to tell this compelling story, put it to the screen, and let it play out. Even if it could've gone more in-depth in some areas, the film does an incredibly admirable job simply telling this story and letting it play out, allowing the audience to experience its power and emotion. It makes for a movie that, even with its issues, is still very powerful and emotionally moving.

Now showing in limited theaters starting March 15th, 2024