Rachel Weisz plays a Holocaust scholar who’s sued in British court by a prominent denier (Timothy Spall). While there is a somber, moving visit to Auchwitz, most of the narrative revolves around the legal wrangling. Although it’s attempted, the film doesn’t succeed in the emotional connection that would have created a powerful experience. Instead, we watch relatively dry legal proceedings (it is England, after all). David Hare’s screenplay manages to effectively hit the case’s salient points and Weisz’s performance is solid, but this is probably the most detached treatment of the Holocaust ever put on film.
(3 / 5)