Review of Life Is Beautiful (1997) by Hipster_Trekkie — 07 Jun 2016

(CONTAINS SPOILERS).

Many people who have written reviews for this movie say that it is "abhorrent" to make a movie about something as horrifying as the Holocaust, and that it is cheesy in every way. These reviews, especially written by critics couldn't be more wrong. This movie is about kindness and showing humility in a time of evil. The main character Guido and his son Joshua are taken the concentration camps because they are Jewish along with Guido's own father, and his wife, Dora, hops on the train because she cannot bare the idea of them suffering while she gets to live in her home. Guido knows to some extent what's in store for them, yet he neglects to tell his son because he wants Joshua's innocence to remain in tact. He wants to protect Josh because the innocence of a child is the one thing that can give light in times of darkness. Guido tells Joshua that instead of being sent to the camps and being tortured, they are participating in a tough competition, now as I said, Guido tells him this to protect this little child's innocence. Joshua is a little child and he is not yet ready to understand how their world works. This movie is about finding the light in even the darkest of times and staying true to yourself no matter what life throws at you. Yes, this movie dramatizes the camps, yet we are still able to see the cruelty of the Nazis. Guido keeps his comedy going to bring life and happiness to his son to the very end. He ends up sacrificing himself for Dora and Joshua, and even makes fun of the Nazi walking him to his death in front of his hidden son. The children are our future an they need to be protected, that is what this movie says. Yes, it is dramatized, yes it is a bit romanticized but what movie isn't to a certain extent? This movies still shows how good humanity can be. This is a movie I highly recommend. It does not deserve the rating it received.