Overview
A haunting tale of love and loss set against the backdrop of war's darkest moments.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- somber
- haunting
- emotional
- historical film night
- serious viewing
What critics said
Critics generally found the film engaging and well acted, but divided over its sentimental treatment of Holocaust memory and heavy-handed exposition.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Julia's reporting leads her from her father-in-law's apartment to Sarah's fate and the family's concealed past.
The Paris apartment once occupied by the Starzynski family links Julia's present to the 1942 roundup.
Ten-year-old Sarah tries to protect her younger brother while her Jewish family is arrested.
Sarah's 1942 ordeal is intercut with Julia's 2009 investigation into the deported Jews of Paris.
Films like Sarah's Key, and why
The Reader
shared dual-timeline historical drama, Holocaust memory, and emotionally charged investigation of family secrets
The Zookeeper's Wife
shared World War II setting, survivor trauma, moral reckoning, and intimate character-focused drama
The Secret in Their Eyes
shared journalist-led investigation, historical guilt, and the uncovering of wartime atrocities across generations
Movie Details
- Director
- Gilles Paquet-Brenner
- Release Date
- 2010-09-16
- Runtime
- 111 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (725)
Cast
- Kristin Scott Thomas
- Mélusine Mayance
- Niels Arestrup
- Frédéric Pierrot
- Michel Duchaussoy
- Dominique Frot
- Natasha Mashkevich
- Gisèle Casadesus
- Aidan Quinn
- Sarah Ber
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Sarah's Key about?
- A journalist uncovering a hidden Parisian family history confronts the enduring human cost of the 1942 deportation of French Jews.
- What is Sarah's Key like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Sarah's Key as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Sarah's Key violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Sarah's Key as mild.
- What did critics think of Sarah's Key?
- Critics generally found the film engaging and well acted, but divided over its sentimental treatment of Holocaust memory and heavy-handed exposition.
- Which films are like Sarah's Key?
- Films with a similar feel include The Reader, The Zookeeper's Wife, and The Secret in Their Eyes.
- How long is Sarah's Key?
- Sarah's Key runs 111 minutes.
- Where can I watch Sarah's Key?
- In United States, Sarah's Key streams on Amazon Prime Video, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
