Question 1

What unique visual approach did the filmmakers use to create Saul's perspective in Auschwitz?

Accepted Answer

They shot in the unusual Academy aspect ratio of 1.375:1 for a narrow field of vision, close to 1940s film formats, and kept the camera as Saul's companion throughout.

Question 2

How did sound design complement the intentionally narrowed imagery in the film?

Accepted Answer

Sound designer Tamás Zányi described it as 'acoustic counterpoint' to the imagery, with five months of work recording human voices in eight languages added to the original production recording.

Question 3

Which 1985 war film inspired director László Nemes when making Son of Saul?

Accepted Answer

Nemes cited Elem Klimov's Come and See (1985) as an inspiration for his film.

Question 4

How did Géza Röhrig, a Hungarian poet living in Brooklyn, end up playing the lead role of Saul?

Accepted Answer

Nemes invited him on a whim to audition for a supporting role, but as they were about to cast another actor as Saul, they found Röhrig perfect for the lead—his feature film debut after not acting on camera since the 1980s.

Question 5

What moral mission drives Saul, a prisoner forced to burn corpses in Auschwitz?

Accepted Answer

He tries to save from the flames the body of a boy he takes for his son, seeking to give him a proper Jewish burial as a form of moral survival.

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Son of Saul

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