One Life

In cinemas now

James Hawes’ biopic of Nicholas Winton, the British humanitarian who helped rescue over 600 Jewish children from German-occupied Czechoslovakia prior to the outbreak of WWII, is certainly a timely watch, given the current U.K. government’s cold and unfeeling treatment of migrants. Indeed, in an age where politicians would rather send those in need to Rwanda rather than offer them refuge, there is much we could learn from Winton’s philanthropism.

Nonetheless, there is a knowing restraint about One Life that renders it moving in a more conventional than organic sense, with both Hawes and co-screenwriters Lucinda Coxon and Nick Drake drawing from an arsenal of oft-used genre tropes to elicit an emotional reaction from their audience. Although that’s not to detract from the film’s source material, which is a truly extraordinary act of humanitarianism, nor the performance of its cast, with Anthony Hopkins, Johnny Flynn, and Helena Bonham Carter all in fine form.

Rather, One Life just doesn’t feel quite as remarkable as Winton or the colleagues who helped him achieve such a marvellously selfless feat. Nonetheless, its well-timed morality tale, performances, and Volker Bertelmann’s sumptuous score make this well worth any viewers time.