Cinephile № 829 “Sophie’s Choice”

Recommendation: 4/5 Stars, SHOWTIME

Plot: “Sophie is the survivor of Nazi concentration camps, who has found a reason to live with Nathan, a sparkling if unsteady American Jew obsessed with the Holocaust.” -IMDB

Review: For my 22nd film of the 2019 AFI Fest, I turned my attention to the work of Meryl Streep and the classic film, “Sophie’s Choice.” To fully understand Sophie (Meryl Streep), we must understand where she has been and the things she has had to endure. As a survivor of the Nazi concentration camps, she lost countless loved ones and had to make impossible choices. From the outset, we don’t understand the depth of those choices, but the lingering impact remains. In America and dating Nathan (Kevin Kline), we can see in her eyes she is still wrestling with the truth.

Despite the weight of the past, Nathan and Sophie find themselves seemingly infatuated with each other. When Stingo (Peter MacNicol) moves into their building, we are offered a deeper understanding of their relationship through his eyes. In Nathan, we find a character we cannot trust, who is no stranger to fits of rage, and deep jealously. In Sophie, Stingo finds a confidant and someone to process life in New York City.

In the midst of one of Nathan’s violent rages, Stingo and Sophie escape the city and find themselves alone. Over the…