Movie Review: 'One Life'

In 1938, a young London stockbroker, Nicholas Winton (Johnny Flynn), travels to Czechoslovakia just weeks after Hitler signed the Munich Agreement. Arriving at the train station in Prague, Nicholas is surrounded by families escaping the recent presence of Nazis in Germany and Austria.

It’s a horrifying experience, but worse yet is visiting the refugee camps where these families have been placed. There is little water or food, and housing is virtually nonexistent. What troubles him most is the plight of the children, many of whom have been separated from their parents and are now orphans. He returns home determined to do something about the situation – rescue the children and find them foster homes in England.

Back home, Nicholas engages the help of his free-spirited mother, Babi Winton (Helen Bonham Carter). She’s only too happy to help. The bureaucratic hurdles the Wintons face are many. With perseverance and backing from the British Committee for Refugees from Czechoslovakia (BCRC), they begin raising funds and finding foster families for the children.

Small numbers of children soon begin to arrive from Prague by train. There is an increasing chance that Hitler will escalate his presence in Czechoslovakia, going so far as closing the borders. The Wintons must work harder and faster before that happens.

In 1988, the older, now retired, Nicholas (Anthony Hopkins), has been informed by his wife that he needs to clean up the piles of papers, documents and books that clutter his office. She has a new use for the room.

One of his skills as a stockbroker is record keeping. As he sorts through the boxes of papers and file cabinets, he finds an album where he documented his activities in Prague. There is detailed information about the rescued children, including their photographs. He has luncheon with a friend/colleague from their time together in Prague to help decide what to do with the album.

His first thought is giving it to a museum, but that idea soon leaves his mind – he wants to bring attention to the current plight of refugees. Mysteriously, the album and the documentation reach producers of the BBC show That’s Life. Nicholas is invited to the studio to witness the small segment of the show describing his work with the BCRC.

Against his wishes he’s seated in the front row. He’s placed there because, at the close of the segment, the person sitting next to him is introduced as one of the refugees he brought to England.

The program is such a success that BBC plans an expanded show detailing more of what he and his colleagues achieved. He eventually arranged the rescue of more than 600 children. This show has an even more enthusiastic audience. This time Nicholas’ wife is at his side.

At the close of the show, the presenter asks the audience: “If there are any present here today that were rescued by Nicholas to please stand up.” As Nicholas turns to see who in the audience is standing, tears begin to flow from his eyes.

Directed by James Hawes (Credits: Slow Horses, Raised by Wolves) “One Life” runs 109 minutes and is a “should see” for a true story compellingly told with skill, sensitivity and artistic merit. Premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.