Finding God in the Sewers

Holocaust survivor story reveals the divine in the dark.

As Holocaust dramas go, In Darkness (Sony Pictures Classics, in limited release Jan. 27), stands firmly in the tradition of movies like Schindler's List and The Pianist: true-story films about Polish Jews who, against all odds, lived through the Nazi atrocities of WWII with help from non-Jewish protectors. Here the protector is the morally dubious Leopold Socha (Robert Wieckiewicz), a sewer worker and petty thief in Poland. Socha, a Catholic with a family to support, is offered money by the Nazis for every Jew he finds hiding in the sewers. But when a group of Jews offers him even more to protect their hiding place, he begins a journey down an accidental, opportunistic path toward heroism.

The film's title comes from its setting in the sewers, but is also a metaphor for the darkness of humanity. There is no clear delineation between heroes and villains, the good and bad; it's more like the bad and the worse. Acclaimed Polish director Agnieszka Holland (Europa Europa; The Secret Garden) explores ambiguous moral territory, where the Jews aren't all good and neither is the Gentile who protects them. Holland, who collaborated with her friend Krzysztof Kieślowski on the screenplay for the Three Colors trilogy, offers a nuanced document of the Holocaust that is strengthened by its reluctance to put halos on any of its characters.

This is not to say we don't feel connected to the characters or root for them to survive. We do, perhaps more so because of their imperfections. And Socha—a flawed man whose good heart is gradually revealed as his bond with the Jews grows—is a likeable protagonist. He spends his life pulled between the dark underworld (literally) and the goodness of daylight, family, and faith. He's driven by money and pride, but also by selflessness and love.

It's this spark that seems to interest Holland most. Her camera beautifully captures the dynamics of dark and light throughout, putting audiences in the disorienting darkness most of the time but offering glimpses of the above-ground world, with its bursts of light.

Where was God? That is a question every Holocaust rendering eventually asks. In a film like this—with its numbing brutality, unspeakable horrors, and bleak depictions of man at war with himself—it's hard to see God, but he is present. What drives Socha's sacrificial actions? Where does this sense of "right" come from? Socha has several "baptismal" moments that symbolize his gradual redemption and renewal. After a day of grimy work in the sewers, he's cleansed in a bathtub by his wife. And in one dramatic sequence, Socha dives into a potentially deadly situation to save those below—and emerges a new man as a result. It makes for an unlikely redemption story, a cleansing renewal in the midst of humanity's dark night, but surely God is at work.

Brett McCracken, a CT film critic, blogs at stillsearching.wordpress.com.

Copyright © 2012 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

Cover Story

The Best Ways to Fight Poverty—Really

Cover Story

Cost-Effective Compassion: The 10 Most Popular Strategies for Helping the Poor

Review

John Stott: A Uniter and a Divider

Excerpt

Beauty Will Save The World

Public Theology Project

A Purpose-Driven Cosmos: Why Jesus Doesn't Promise Us an 'Afterlife'

Wilson's Bookmarks

The Price of Religious Advocacy in D.C.

Liberty Balance

News

Sex Offender Misstep Illustrates Outreach Difficulties

Flaming Truth: Recalling Francis Schaeffer's Challenge

News

Teaching Natural Theology as Climate Changes Drown a Way of Life

News

Go Figure

The Other Prodigal Son

Letters to the Editor

News

Pro-life Advocates Cheer State Court Rulings, Parliament Reaffirms Church De-Regulations, and More News

Editorial

You Can't Worship Here: Evicting Churches from New York Schools

A Rueful Meditation

Two Minutes With ... Jaci Velasquez

My Top 5 Silent Movies

Review

Schoolhouse Divided

How biblical is it to be pro-life and support the death penalty?

News

Does motive matter if a ministry is doing good deeds?

How to Help

Community Chaste

More Media

My Top 5 Books By Charles Dickens

Books to Note

News

After Komen, the Next Big Planned Parenthood Fight

News

Out of Africa

News

Passages

News

Pink Stink: Komen Drops Planned Parenthood Support

News

Quotation Marks

Masculinity in the Movies

Critics' Choice Movie Awards of 2011

The Most Redeeming Films of 2011

View issue

Our Latest

News

Conservative Anglicans Call for Archbishop to Repent Over Same-Sex Relationships Stance

As the issue continues to divide the Church of England, Justin Welby spoke on a popular podcast about how his views have “evolved.”

Go Slow and Repair Things

We’re facing huge problems in our culture—problems an election alone can’t solve. But by God’s grace, we can do the small, daily work of repair.

In a Polarized World, but Not of It 

On Election Day and beyond, conservative and liberal Christians can better understand each other and be ministers of reconciliation. 

Gen Z Is Turning Online for Spiritual Guidance

Where Ya From?

Navigating Cultural Identity with Danielle Marck

Danielle Marck shares the experiences that pivoted the direction of her life toward her callings from God.

News

Charlie Kirk Aims to Expand Turning Point USA to Evangelical Campuses

But not all Christian campuses have embraced the conservative group.

News

Sarah Jakes Roberts Evolves T. D. Jakes’s Women’s Conference

At a record-setting event this fall, 40,000 followers listened to her preach about spiritual breakthrough and surrender.

News

The Evangelical Voters Who Changed Their Minds

Amid a hyperpartisan electorate, a minority plan to vote differently than they did in 2016 and 2020.
Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube