'Darkness' a gritty fact-based war drama

<b>Reel Life review: 'In Darkness'</b>

If you combined "The Diary of Anne Frank" with "Schindler's List," roughly you'd get the premise of Agnieszka Holland's gritty and gruelingly realistic fact-based World War II drama "In Darkness."

In the Nazi-occupied Polish city of Lvov, a sewer worker named Socha (Robert Wieckiewicz) moonlights as a petty thief, targeting houses of Jews who've been relocated to concentration camps.

Early on, Socha seems to possess divine protection, for when a Nazi youth pulls a trigger to shoot Socha, the gun misfires, sparing the man for a higher purpose, later revealed when he hides a group of Jewish refugees deep within the city's sewer system. For a fee.

Holland, most known for directing "Europa Europa," has no interest in sentimental artificiality or genre clichés (no Nazi/Jewish romances erupt here). She preserves the Nazis' sadistic, casual violence against the Jews, but is more fascinated by the raw, unvarnished experiences of day-to-day survival.

The Jewish families (among them German actor Benno Furmann) are stuck in a horrible pressure cooker, forced to deal with sickness and lack of privacy - which doesn't stop their sex drive in immodest scenes where children's eyes must be covered.

The Jews are constantly worried that their Polish protector will sell them out to the Nazis for a handsome reward. We're almost sure Sosha will, too.

It takes a long time in this lengthy drama before we know that "In Darkness" is the story of Sosha's redemption, that his interest in the refugees - he affectionately refers to them as "My Jews" - has evolved beyond money and personal gain.

"In Darkness" is filmed in darkness, and its dark treatment of its dark subject matter will not make it a popular shopping mall movie. But the drama has the ring of authenticity about it, and the fact that nobody trusts or likes anyone else in this movie lends a certain credibility to the characters.

And it makes Holland's film anything but conventional Hollywood fare.

"In Darkness" opens at the Century Centre in Chicago and the Renaissance Place in Highland Park. In Polish, German, Yiddish and Ukrainian with English subtitles. Rated R for language, nudity, sexual situations and violence. 145 minutes. ★ ★ ★ ½

<b>STA Oscars Handicap</b>

My annual Oscar predictions will be published in Time out! on Friday, Feb. 24. But members of Subscriber Total Access will get a sneak preview at Schaumburg's John Barleycorn restaurant next Wednesday, Feb. 22. After dinner, I'll show clips of the probable Academy Award winners plus reveal behind-the-scenes stuff, such as "Why are there only two songs nominated for an Oscar this year?" You must be a Subscriber Total Access member to attend this free event, which includes appetizers and two drink tickets per person.

Want to be a member of the STA club? Here's the pitch: Go to dailyherald.com and click on "Subscriber Total Access" or you can call (847) 427-4300.

<b>Ignoring 'The Beaver'</b>

<b>Dear Dann: </b>I accidentally saw that offbeat film "The Beaver" when "Bridesmaids" tickets were all sold out. I was in the mood for "just entertain me," but I got caught up by the quirky movie, largely due to Mel Gibson's performance. I was surprised when the nominations came out that Mel Gibson didn't receive any recognition. How do you feel about that? <b>- Bonnie Davidson, Streamwood</b>

<b>Dear Bonnie: </b>Had the Academy moguls allowed 10 nominees for Best Actor this year, Gibson stood a good chance to be nominated for his performance as a mentally ill businessman saved by a talking beaver puppet (speaking with the actor's real Australian accent).

The current five nominees are very strong contenders, and if any other actor deserves to be added to that group, it should be Michael Fassbender for his role as a sex addict in "Shame."

Had the competition not been so tough - and Gibson's unlikeable personal attributes not been so publicly documented - his performance might have earned a nom. As for the Beaver himself, I think he'd have a tough time taking on Kermit the Frog.

<b>Clash of the critics?</b>

If you can't make it to my Oscars show next Wednesday at John Barleycorn, consider seeing my Dann & Raymond's Movie Club buddy Raymond Benson's Oscar show at 6:30 p.m. also on Wednesday at the Indian Trails Public Library, 355 S. Schoenbeck Road, Wheeling. Go to www.indiantrailslibrary.org.

<b>Reel Life review: 'Declaration of War'</b>

An early segment of Valerie Donzelli's domestic drama "Declaration of War" reminded me so much of the lovers montage parody in "Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad" that it sort of ruined the rest of its rather sober tale of tested love.

Then, in a very lazy move by script writers Donzelli and Jeremie Elkaim, many important events in "Declaration of War" are simply covered in droning voice-over narrations that do all the heavy emotional lifting, especially near the end when we find out the true cost that a young, happy couple pays for shouldering the burden of a child afflicted with a rare cancer.

Romeo (Elkaim) and Juliette (Donzelli) - I kid you not, Romeo and Juliette - meet, fall in love, marry and have a son named Adam, whose sagging facial features and odd behavior prompt the couple to have their baby tested.

He has a tumor.

"Declaration of War" traces how their son's deteriorating condition strengthens the couple's resolve as they're put through a meat grinder of challenges to their relationship.

I wanted to root for Romeo and Juliette in this movie (based on the filmmakers' actual experiences with their own son), but the narration distanced me from the characters, as did a few of the showy soundtrack innovations that pulled me out of the emotional moment to wonder, "What was that noise?"

"Declaration of War" opens at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago. In French with subtitles. Not rated. 100 minutes. ★ ★

Ÿ <i>Daily Herald film critic Dann Gire's column runs Fridays in Time out!</i>