Life is Beautiful

  Life is Beautiful

The movie “Life is Beautiful” is one of the most touching and thoughtful movies I have ever seen. It is about a Jewish man and his son and wife who get taken to a concentration camp during the Holocaust. The man’s son is very young, and his father does not want him to lose spirit or give up. To prevent this from happening the father tells his son that they are playing a game, and everything is a challenge that wins you points. Whoever gets 1,000 points first wins a real tank. This clever scheme keeps the son alive. And in the end, the father is discovered running around and is unfortunately killed by a Nazi working at the concentration camp. But in the end the boy is reunited with his mother, and he does in fact get to ride in an Allie tank.
I think that this movie is extremely unique because it is about a man who is taking something as horrible as the Holocaust and turning it into a game. It is very intriguing how the father creates an elaborate tale just to protect his son. As far as I know, no other movie like this has ever been attempted before. The story’s fascinating plot and crazy characters pulled me into the story right away.
The story was also extremely touching. It pulled at my heart when the father was struggling to carry pounds and pounds of lead, but he bleared his teeth and ignored it just so his son would think he was having fun. I believe the father made the ultimate sacrifice by ignoring all his pains and heartache so his son wouldn’t have to feel it as well. Also, I was extremely touched when the man risked his life just so he could reach his wife through the loud speaker. He spoke into it while no one was looking and called to his wife, or as he called her, “Princess.” It was so heart-warming.
The story was on a very serious subject, but the writer of the movie still made room for occasional humor. One day at the little boy’s school a Nazi party member was supposed to tell the students about the characteristics of the Aryan, or “master” race. To win over Dora, the mother’s heart, the main character comes in and pretends to be the Nazi party member. The whole seen is rather hilarious because the man starts telling people he has perfect ears and a perfect bellybutton. I liked how the movie had small tidbits of humor to lighten the mood of the story.
Though the story had many happy aspects, it was so depressing when the father got shot. Half of me thinks this should happen, and the other half wishes it hadn’t. I think it should happen because it reminds us that the Holocaust was very awful. If no one died, the movie probably wouldn’t have portrayed the Holocaust very well. Also, the father’s death shows he made the ultimate sacrifice for his family. Though this is true, I wish the father hadn’t died because he was such a great character, and he seemed so close to victory but all of a sudden his life was abruptly cut short. All in all, the death of the main character was awful but it I think it had to happen for the story.
One of the best aspects of this movie was how the story sends out a message saying that even in the most hopeless and desperate times there is always a way to get through and keep your hopes high. The story is an inspiration to everyone, telling people to never give up. Even though the father died in the end, he accomplished his goal by keeping the most important thing in his life alive. People should remember this movie as a lesson saying that no matter what, you should never give up. 💘