Overview
A survivor's journey through trauma and redemption unfolds in the ring.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- harrowing
- melancholic
- intimate
- serious movie night
- historical drama viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly view the film as a compassionate and powerful biographical drama elevated by Ben Foster’s committed performance, despite some conventional storytelling.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Harry’s concentration-camp experiences surface as haunting memories while he pursues a new life and boxing career.
Harry uses high-profile fights, including bouts connected to boxing legends, to reclaim identity and search for his first love.
The narrative centers on a concentration-camp survivor whose forced fights and lingering guilt shape every later decision.
Harry’s boxing, memories, and relationships are all marked by what he endured in the camps.
Films like The Survivor, and why
The Pianist
shared biographical drama, wartime trauma, and a protagonist rebuilding life through public performance
Son of Saul
shared Holocaust survivor narrative, historical drama, and themes of memory, guilt, and endurance
Cinderella Man
shared boxing-film structure, bruising physical struggle, and emotionally driven redemption
Phoenix
shared survivor trauma, postwar displacement, and intimate historical drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Barry Levinson
- Release Date
- 2022-04-07
- Runtime
- 129 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (212)
Cast
- Ben Foster
- Billy Magnussen
- Vicky Krieps
- Peter Sarsgaard
- Saro Emirze
- Danny DeVito
- John Leguizamo
- Dar Zuzovsky
- Laurent Papot
- Paul Bates
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Survivor about?
- A haunted Holocaust survivor turns to professional boxing and a search for lost love while struggling to live beyond the violence that kept him alive.
- What is The Survivor like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Survivor as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Survivor violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Survivor as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Survivor?
- Critics broadly view the film as a compassionate and powerful biographical drama elevated by Ben Foster’s committed performance, despite some conventional storytelling.
- Which films are like The Survivor?
- Films with a similar feel include The Pianist, Son of Saul, Cinderella Man, and Phoenix.
- How long is The Survivor?
- The Survivor runs 129 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Survivor?
- In United States, The Survivor streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max.
