Overview
A gripping tale of courage and sacrifice unfolds in the darkest of times.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Brutal
- harrowing
- claustrophobic
- suspenseful
- historical drama night
- arthouse cinema viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a harrowing, suspenseful, visually controlled Holocaust drama anchored by strong performances and ethical complexity.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Leopold Soha begins as a thief exploiting the refugees but increasingly risks himself to keep them alive.
Much of the refugee experience unfolds in dim, rat-infested sewers beneath occupied Lvov.
Soha's aid develops from opportunism and payment into costly protection, resisting a simple saintly-rescuer narrative.
Jewish refugees move between the teeming streets of Lvov and the concealed sewer network below them.
Films like In Darkness, and why
Schindler's List
shared Holocaust survival drama, moral ambiguity, historical trauma, and intense suspense
The Pianist
shared World War II peril, refugee rescue, claustrophobic survival, and morally compromised heroism
Son of Saul
shared Holocaust subject, escape narrative, historical drama, and harrowing suspense
Defiance
shared true-story wartime rescue, endangered civilians, and ethically complex protagonist
Movie Details
- Director
- Agnieszka Holland
- Release Date
- 2011-12-09
- Runtime
- 145 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (211)
Cast
- Robert Więckiewicz
- Benno Fürmann
- Agnieszka Grochowska
- Maria Schrader
- Herbert Knaup
- Marcin Bosak
- Julia Kijowska
- Jerzy Walczak
- Oliwer Stanczak
- Milla Bankowicz
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- 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 In Darkness about?
- A thief in Nazi-occupied Lvov hides Jewish refugees in the sewers, where survival transforms opportunism into perilous moral courage.
- What is In Darkness like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of In Darkness as measured, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as layered.
- Is In Darkness violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in In Darkness as brutal.
- What did critics think of In Darkness?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a harrowing, suspenseful, visually controlled Holocaust drama anchored by strong performances and ethical complexity.
- Which films are like In Darkness?
- Films with a similar feel include Schindler's List, The Pianist, Son of Saul, and Defiance.
- How long is In Darkness?
- In Darkness runs 145 minutes.
- Where can I watch In Darkness?
- In United States, In Darkness is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
