Unbroken
2014 · Directed by Angelina Jolie
Original language: English
- drama
- war
The story
A chronicle of the life of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who was taken prisoner by Japanese forces during World War II.
What it’s like
Sun-bleached and punishing at sea, then dim, sweat-soaked and claustrophobic inside the camps: the look of Unbroken moves from open Pacific horizons and raft-bound glare to the grey-brown dirt, bamboo and tin of the prison compounds, shot with wide, steady compositions that let the heat and the emptiness sit in the frame. The palette is desaturated, with ochre and rust tones against bleached blue, and the sound design leans on wind, waves, distant engines and a restrained orchestral score that swells only at the sharpest turns. Its vibe is grinding endurance with flickers of stubborn hope, a serious, classical war biography that moves slowly through long stretches of suffering and survival. The violence is significant: beatings, starvation, and cruelty by captors are shown directly and sometimes lingeringly, though there is little gore. It suits an attentive evening rather than background viewing. It is for viewers who want a sober survival story about one man's resilience, a respectful, emotionally heavy film about faith, endurance and forgiveness.
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