We Were The Lucky Ones movie review

MOVIE TITLE: We Were The Lucky Ones

This sobering, powerful limited series about the Holocaust and WWII is now playing exclusively on Hulu, available on Disney+.

RATING: TV-MA

LENGTH: 8 episodes of an hour each

Movie Review Mom GRADE: A

SPONSOR of Today’s movie review:

Passover seder plate and Kiddush Cup with the Haggadah: https://amzn.to/3yhd1ik

IN A NUTSHELL:

The limited series is based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Georgia Hunter, the great-grandmother of Nechuma and Sol, characters in the series. It’s based on the true story about the Kurc family who were Jewish and Polish, as they endured the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust, struggling desperately to survive and be reunited.

I haven’t read the novel, but I love WWII movies. That might sound odd, but it’s probably because there were clear villains and innocents: good versus evil. The stories of heroism and sacrifice are endless. My husband has some Polish ancestors, so I was especially intrigued to see how this series would unfold, especially because it’s based on a true story.

THINGS I LIKED:

The title is intriguing and haunting. Some would argue that the Jews who were killed early on in the war were the lucky ones so they wouldn’t have to endure such barbaric treatment. While this series is captivating and historically accurate, it’s brutal to watch. It is simply incomprehensible and unfathomable to me that humans treated each other like this. Your heart will break with every episode. Sadly, this series is timely, as ugly antisemitism has started to rage again in this world. This story needs to be told.
Because the nuclear family was fairly large, it gave lots of opportunities to show how they were divided and experienced different aspects of the war in Poland, Russia, France, Italy, Palestine/Israel, Brazil, and Africa.
I didn’t recognize many of the actors. Joey King did a great job and I was happy to see her get such a meaty role. I adored Marin Hinkle in the award-winning “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”, so I was thrilled to see her in this. Everyone in the cast did a fantastic job. The leading actors playing the Jews were played by Jewish actors. I love that.
You’ll be happy and amazed to know that the little girl, Felicia, is still alive! She lives in Paris with her husband, Louis.
If you can handle watching the horrors of the Holocaust, this is definitely a binge-worthy series that compels you to keep watching. Every episode ends with a cliffhanger.
Beautiful theme music and musical score.
Great attention to detail has been given and is appreciated.
Keep watching until the final rolling credits at the end of the last episode to see pictures of the real family this story is based on.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Purists would prefer that original languages were spoken with English subtitles; however, fewer Americans would probably watch this. I didn’t mind the accents.
Sometimes, it’s hard to see what’s happening in the dark, evening scenes.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Kids will be extremely bored.
Profanity, including F-bombs
Extreme violence
We see the naked backside of men and women.
We see a topless woman posing for a photo
We see people shot, killed, and tortured
We see piles of dead bodies

THEMES:

Freedom
Choices
Family
Judaism
Connection
Hatred
Hope
Religious persecution
The human spirit

FUNNY LINES:

None. This is a serious drama.

INTERESTING LINES:

“It can’t hurt to be prepared.” – Nechuma Kurc (Robin Weigert)
“She’s a baby. That’s barbaric.” – (Lior Ashkenazi) “I think that’s the point.” – Halina Kurc (Joey King)
“Soviets are…unpredictable.” – Jakob
“Even in the darkness, I see your love.” – Rabbi
“I was so blind. I did not see the signs.” – Addy Kurc (Logan Lerman)
“You say I’m lucky but maybe luck is relative.” – Halina Kurc (Joey King)
“Children give us the courage to face life.” – Nechuma Kurc (Robin Weigert)
“I thought I knew something about human beings, but I know nothing.” – Mila Kurc (Hadas Yaron)
“Faith is a choice. It’s an act of will.” – Herta Seifert (Moran Rosenblatt)
“Survival is fighting. Wielding a gun is not the only way to fight back.” – Halina Kurc (Joey King)
“Everyone says they want to help. They’d just prefer it at a distance.” – (Teresa Tavares)
“I think there’s a lot of space for dreams in between being practical.” – (Teresa Tavares)