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New Netflix Holocaust Series Shines Bright Light During a Dark Time
A bartender must give up the location of a blind girl who is making illegal radio broadcasts, or be shot in 10 seconds. It’s 1944, and the Nazis know they are losing the war in a new Netflix miniseries All The Light We Cannot See. As the Nazi, Lars Eidinger (Reinhold von Rumpel) appears to be impersonating Christoph Waltz’s Oscar winning role in Inglourious Basterds.
In the French Saint-Malo, Marie (Aria Mia Loberti) is a blind girl who risks her life to transmit radio messages. She reads the novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Seas, but, as instructed by her uncle Etienne (Hugh Laurie), it serves as codes to help the Allied bombers. Mark Ruffalo plays her father, Daniel. Werner Pfennig (Louis Hofmann) hears the girl’s broadcast, and is assigned to find her.
The cinematography gives the needed foreboding feeling, and Loberti is fantastic as Marie. She is legally blind, and it’s hard to believe this was her first role, and that she’d never even auditioned for anything before.
Von Rumpel is trying to track down a piece of jewelry called the Sea of Flames, and he’s willing to kill for it. Meanwhile, Marie’s father warns her about the danger of the jewelry, and a curse associated with it.
Ruffalo delivers a slightly above average performance, while Hofmann and Loberti’s acting styles are natural and unforced.
In a flashback scene where she says goodbye to Werner as he joins the Nazis, Luna Wedler is excellent as Jutta, his sister, who warns him not to be impressed or convinced by them. Ed Skrein is fantastic as Herr Siedler, and deserved more screen time. Hugh Laurie does a fine job as Etienne, who has a dramatic life saving moment.
A number of scenes lack tension, including one in a bakery and one with someone being tortured, as we have no doubt what his decision will be.
The fourth and final episode is the strongest, in which Reinhold asks Daniel: “Is pain stronger than love?”
Though some of the writing is stilted, a line delivered by an unlikely hero is brilliant. The series lacks action or much character development, but it gets better as it goes on. The plot is simple and there are few surprises. It is beautifully shot but lacks meaningful music, though the flashbacks are well done and are not disruptive. The symbolism is a bit too on the nose.
Though there are some cliches, the series is worth watching for the acting of Loberti and the inspiring story of good vs. evil. Based on the book by Anthony Doerr, it is an intriguing tale of resistance, and the series adaptation could have been brilliant with a few touches to make the plot and the characters richer.
If you’re a fan of World War II related stories and can be satiated with only a few action scenes, you will enjoy the series.
The author is a writer based in New York.
The post New Netflix Holocaust Series Shines Bright Light During a Dark Time first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Netanyahu Criticizes Nation-Wide Strike That ‘Strengthens Hamas’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a news conference in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday harshly criticized nationwide demonstrations calling for the release of hostages and an end to the Gaza war.
Speaking at a government meeting, Netanyahu argued that such protests only strengthen Hamas and risk repeating the atrocities of October 7.
“Those who call today for an end to Hamas’s war not only harden the terrorist group’s position and delay the release of our hostages, but also guarantee that the horrors of October 7 will be repeated and that we will have to fight an endless war,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister defended Israel’s ongoing military operations, citing strikes carried out in recent days: “In the last 24 hours, the navy attacked power stations in Yemen, IDF soldiers struck Zeitoun and eliminated dozens of terrorists in Gaza, and the air force targeted Hezbollah commanders and launch sites in Lebanon.”
He added that Israel’s response in Lebanon was consistent with the ceasefire agreement: “According to this agreement, we will meet with fire any violation and any attempt to arm Hezbollah.”
Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s conditions for ending the conflict, stressing the need for continued security control in Gaza and the group’s long-term demilitarization. He rejected Hamas’s demand for a full Israeli withdrawal: “They want us to leave Gaza entirely — from the north, the south, the Philadelphi corridor, and the security perimeter. That would only allow them to reorganize, rearm, and attack us again.”
The war has now entered its 681st day, with 49 hostages still held by Hamas.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Israelis joined a general strike organized by the Hostage Families Forum, calling for the return of all captives in a single deal and for an end to the war. Demonstrations spread across the country, at major intersections, government ministers’ homes, and familiar protest hubs such as Kaplan Junction and the Ayalon highways.
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Family Releases Footage of Matan Zangauker in Captivity
A screenshot of a video released by the family of hostage Matan Zangauker.
i24 News – The family of Matan Zangauker, the Israeli hostage held by Hamas since October 7, shared new footage of him from captivity on Sunday evening.
The video, obtained by the IDF, was recorded several months ago.
In the recording, 32-year-old Matan looks directly into the camera, addressing his loved ones: “Tato, Shani, Ilana, I miss you. God willing, we’ll see each other soon. All my friends and acquaintances, go out and make noise like only you know how.”
Matan was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, along with his partner Ilana Gritsievsky, who was released in a hostage deal last year. Since then, Matan has remained in Hamas custody while his family continues to fight for his return.
On the national protest day calling for the release of hostages, Ilana staged a poignant display at Hostages Square. Dressed in a wedding gown beneath a chuppah, she symbolically “married” Matan in his absence. “Matan, my curly-haired one, if you hadn’t been abducted, we could already be married. In a single day, our world was destroyed, and you’re not here to hold me. I’m fighting for you until you come back,” she said.
Matan’s mother, Einav, has emerged as a leading voice in the campaign for the hostages’ release and has sharply criticized Israel’s political leadership, accusing them of undermining potential hostage deals.
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Hamas Rejects Israel’s Gaza Relocation Plan
Palestinians, displaced by the Israeli offensive, shelter in a tent camp as the Israeli military prepares to relocate residents to southern Gaza, in Gaza City August 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Palestinian terrorist group Hamas said on Sunday that Israel’s plan to relocate residents from Gaza City constitutes a “new wave of genocide and displacement” for hundreds of thousands of residents in the area.
The group said the planned deployment of tents and other shelter equipment by Israel into southern Gaza was a “blatant deception.”
The Israeli military has said it is preparing to provide tents and other equipment starting from Sunday ahead of its plan to relocate residents from combat zones to the south of the enclave “to ensure their safety.”
Hamas said in a statement that the deployment of tents under the guise of humanitarian purposes is a blatant deception intended to “cover up a brutal crime that the occupation forces prepare to execute.”
Israel said earlier this month that it intended to launch a new offensive to seize control of northern Gaza City, the enclave’s largest urban center. The plan has raised international alarm over the fate of the demolished strip, which is home to about 2.2 million people.